By Staff Writer | April 7, 2017
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Gen-2 equipment can take advantage of massive capacity increases in ViaSat satellites. Photo courtesy of ViaSat Inc.
ViaSat-2 and ViaSat-3 class satellites can now carry Gen-2 in-flight internet equipment, ViaSat Inc. said. The equipment is available for early access testing and should be production-ready and available for installations starting in May.
The company unveiled its latest generation solution at Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg, Germany. It is designed to be forward- and backward-compatible across ViaSat’s satellite platforms. It also has more than than 3.5 terabits per second of total expected future global capacity ViaSat plans to bring to market. Gen-2 compatibility will exist across all of ViaSat’s satellite platforms, which includes its first-generation spacecraft and its most advanced spacecraft. Airlines would have the ability to choose its satellite solution provider, as the Gen-2 equipment is compatible with most other Ka-band satellites.
ViaSat said the equipment is able to use its satellite capacity increases and includes upgrades to:
“What we’re bringing to the in-flight internet market is so drastically different than anything else coming on the market. We’re delivering a vertically-integrated system — from the satellite to the terminal and the access points on the aircraft — that is optimized to keep pace with the most powerful communications satellites in the world, ViaSat-2 and ViaSat-3,” said Don Buchman, VP and general manager of commercial mobility at ViaSat. “As a result, our Gen-2 equipment extracts greater productivity, performance and higher throughput levels from the integrated system, and raises the standard for delivering best performing in-flight internet and streaming experiences at scale.”