ViaSat Ka-band In-flight System Will Be New Option for Boeing Commercial Aircraft
Factory option and expanding high-capacity Ka-band footprint enable easier airline transition to high-speed in-flight service
CARLSBAD, Calif.  -- ViaSat Inc. (NASDAQ: VSAT) and Boeing Commercial Airplanes (BCA) have agreed to work together towards offering ViaSat Ka-band airborne satellite terminals as a factory line-fit option on Boeing commercial aircraft. Airlines will be able to specify ViaSat in-flight connectivity on new Boeing aircraft and take delivery of the planes with the equipment already installed. Factory installation avoids costly down-time involved with taking planes out of service for post-production retrofits. With the system installed, airlines will have the ability to access Exede(®) In The Air, ViaSat's high-speed in-flight Internet service that is designed to provide vastly improved online access to passengers, similar to the broadband experience and data rates of an in-home connection.
"Within the past few weeks we've taken steps toward making our Ka-band in-flight service more attractive to new airline customers in two ways: continuing our plan to expand high-capacity Ka-band coverage and making it easier to add our system to their fleets," said Mark Dankberg, ViaSat chairman and CEO. "First we announced the new coverage areas that we expect to gain with ViaSat-2. And now factory installation on Boeing planes will simplify the process of getting our equipment on board."
The recent announcement of ViaSat-2, on a Boeing 702HP satellite platform, is a major step forward in ViaSat plans to expand high-capacity, Ka-band satellite coverage around the globe. ViaSat-2 is designed to increase capacity and speed for mobile satellite communications, offering new capacity over land and sea from North America south to Central America, the Caribbean, and the northern edge of South America, as well as over the primary aeronautical and maritime routes across the Atlantic Ocean between North America and Europe.
"With the addition of ViaSat airborne terminals to our factory options, Boeing airline customers will have a broader range of selections for high-bandwidth connectivity on their airplanes," said Dan Murray, chief engineer of Electronic Systems for Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "We will be working closely with ViaSat to bring this option to market."
About Boeing Commercial Airplanes
(www.boeing.com/boeing/bca)
Boeing Commercial Airplanes, a business unit of The Boeing Company, is committed to being the leader in commercial aviation by offering airplanes and services that deliver superior design, efficiency and value to customers around the world. There are more than 13,000 Boeing commercial jetliners in service, flying passengers and freight more efficiently than competing models in the market. With headquarters in the Puget Sound region of Washington state, Boeing Commercial Airplanes is a $49.1 billion business with more than 80,000 employees. About ViaSat (www.viasat.com) ViaSat delivers fast, secure communications, Internet, and network access to virtually any location for consumers, governments, enterprise, and the military. The company offers fixed and mobile satellite network services including Exede by ViaSat, which features ViaSat-1, the world's highest capacity satellite; service to more than 2,300 mobile platforms, including Yonder(®) Ku-band mobile service; satellite broadband networking systems; and network-centric military communication systems and cybersecurity products for the U.S. and allied governments. ViaSat also offers communication system design and a number of complementary products and technologies. Based in Carlsbad, California, ViaSat employs over 2,700 people in a number of locations worldwide for technology development, customer service, and network operations.
SOURCE ViaSat Inc.
CONTACT: Scott Cianciulli / Sharon Oh, 212.986.6667, Brainerd Communicators cianciulli@braincomm.com, oh@braincomm.com
Web Site: www.viasat.com
