Viasat Rolls Out Fast Internet Service via New Satellite

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Viasat Tuesday launched “America’s fastest” satellite internet service for businesses nationally, made possible by ViaSat-2 (pictured above), its highest capacity communications satellite.

The service offers a variety of unlimited and metered data plans with speed options ranging from 35 Megabits per second (Mbps) across most of the United States, with up to 100 Mbps speeds in select areas.

Cody Catalena, Viasat’s vice president and general manager of global business solutions, tells Channel Partners his company is “changing the perception” of satellite internet in that it is no longer a “service of last resort.”

Viasat’s Cody Catalena

“With greater speeds we’re opening up opportunities for businesses to expand their service and operational capabilities,” he said. “Today, we can offer businesses – even those businesses located in the hardest-to-reach locations – essential business applications such as cloud-based collaboration, VoIP, email, point-of-sale transactions, high-speed file transfers, streaming video, Internet of Things (IoT) applications, business continuity and SD-WAN solutions that leverage multi-internet connections and more. As we see it, we’re delivering a new class of satellite internet performance, speed and reliability — which ultimately translates into more business opportunities for the end customer.”

Viasat broadband business internet also provides a more “resilient secondary/backup connection for businesses in urban locations,” according to the company.

“We are industry-agnostic; however, we expect our channel partners to pursue a range of customers across all types of verticals, such as quick-serve restaurants and franchises, agribusiness, construction, manufacturing, retail, finance and health care,” Catalena said. “For us: If a business needs high-speed internet and are having a hard time getting it because they’re out of reach for cable, or fiber internet, Viasat can connect them — and keep them productive and profitable.”

ViaSat-2 launched last June and reached geostationary orbit in December. Business internet plans are available through a nationwide network of resellers or direct through Viasat.

“We plan to ramp up our capacity and coverage by bringing a high-capacity satellite constellation to market that will deliver global connectivity,” Catalena said. “Known as the ViaSat-3 constellation, it is comprised of three new satellites, each covering about one third of the globe. The first ViaSat-3 class satellite will cover the Americas and is expected to go into service in 2020; the second ViaSat-3 class satellite will cover Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and is expected to launch about six-months after the first; and a third ViaSat-3 satellite for the Asia Pacific (APAC) market is planned for launch thereafter.”

Each ViaSat-3 class satellite is designed to have more than 1,000 Gigabits per second (Gbps) – or one Terabit per second (Tbps) – of total network throughput, which means Viasat expects to offer business internet users “even greater speeds with even higher reliability,” he said.