In what is being described as a first-of-a-kind agreement, satellite operators Eutelsat and ViaSat are to enable service access and roaming on each other's high capacity satellite networks between North America and Europe.
By combining Eutelsat's KA-SAT and ViaSat-1, the operators say that the deal represents well over half of all global Ka-band capacity, sharing the same high capacity satellite ecosystem enabled by the ViaSat Broadband System along with other ground infrastructure owned and operated by Eutelsat and ViaSat.
The resulting high capacity service area will span North America, Europe and the Mediterranean Basin, and also includes provisions for future satellites and follow-on technologies as they complement current Eutelsat and ViaSat High Throughput Satellites. That future includes ViaSat-2, scheduled for launch in 2016, which is designed to cover a broader footprint in North America, Central America, the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean and to bridge the North Atlantic to form a blanket of high-capacity coverage across the region.
"This formalises another step towards covering the high traffic areas of the world with the fastest, most affordable mobile broadband satellite connectivity," said Mark Dankberg, ViaSat chairman and CEO. "Extending our long-standing relationship with Eutelsat enables us to provide the fastest in-flight Wi-Fi available on both sides of the Atlantic."
Michel de Rosen, Eutelsat chairman and CEO, added: "Working with ViaSat, we can extend to North America the high quality of service we already provide clients in Europe through KA-SAT, and bridge the two satellite systems with the addition of ViaSat-2. We believe this feature will be a real plus for companies providing mobile services and who need to move around user equipment from region to region."
The resulting high capacity service area will span North America, Europe and the Mediterranean Basin, and also includes provisions for future satellites and follow-on technologies as they complement current Eutelsat and ViaSat High Throughput Satellites. That future includes ViaSat-2, scheduled for launch in 2016, which is designed to cover a broader footprint in North America, Central America, the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean and to bridge the North Atlantic to form a blanket of high-capacity coverage across the region.
"This formalises another step towards covering the high traffic areas of the world with the fastest, most affordable mobile broadband satellite connectivity," said Mark Dankberg, ViaSat chairman and CEO. "Extending our long-standing relationship with Eutelsat enables us to provide the fastest in-flight Wi-Fi available on both sides of the Atlantic."
Michel de Rosen, Eutelsat chairman and CEO, added: "Working with ViaSat, we can extend to North America the high quality of service we already provide clients in Europe through KA-SAT, and bridge the two satellite systems with the addition of ViaSat-2. We believe this feature will be a real plus for companies providing mobile services and who need to move around user equipment from region to region."
