Viasat Select goes direct for BizAv wifi

Business jet owners and operators can now purchase in-flight wifi service directly from Viasat with the launch of the company’s new Viasat Select offerings. The new program will bypass the resellers typically involved in delivering the connections, giving Viasat direct control over the entire connectivity experience, from provisioning capacity and installing hardware to end-user support.

We’re launching Viasat Select at a time when there is incredible demand for in-flight connectivity and just before we bring an immense amount of additional Ka-band capacity to market with our next-generation satellite constellation.

– Claudio D’Amico, Viasat business area director, Business Aviation

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A range of plans

The new Viasat Select offering delivers a range of plans covering multiple price points. At the low end a regional option comes in under $3,000 per month. At the other extreme are uncapped data plans that include the company’s uncapped speeds introduced last Summer.

As Viasat’s Business Aviation business area director Claudio D’Amico explains, “With Viasat Select, operators with different connectivity requirements and aircraft operational profiles can chose a plan that will best match their needs. Every plan will offer the same performance and deliver our leading customer experience, care and support. With ViaSat-3 coverage and capacity augmentation scheduled for next year, we will further enhance our customers’ overall experience.”

The company aims to “be aggressive in the value and performance proposition we offer to operators” under the new operating model. And while resellers can then add additional value-add services on top of these new plans, it is clear Viasat is keen to see more relationships managed directly.

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Nurturing the direct relationship

Adding a direct sales path mirrors the company’s path in its commercial aviation segment in some ways. After several years working with Thales as the reseller, Viasat began offering its solutions directly to airline customers. It cited the ability to better control and deliver the underlying product, as well as the flexibility of its ever growing constellation as key drivers of the decision.

Read More: Skip the speed test: Viasat removes caps for BizAv connectivity

With Viasat Select, however, the company is not shedding its reseller partnerships. At least not actively shutting them down.

It will keep those relationships, “ensuring operators have multiple options for procuring their industry-leading IFC service and the ability to utilize additional services offered by Viasat’s VARs.”

VARs will also have access to the same subscription plans, “to ensure operators have multiple options to procure their Viasat service and utilize the other value-added capabilities the VARs offer.”

The hardware certification and installation process will remain mostly the same as today, even with the new program. Viasat generally depends on aircraft manufacturers (OEMs) or maintenance operators (MROs) for the STC work; VARs do not secure the certifications.

That will not change under the Viasat Select program.

More BizAv news from NBAA 2021

• Viasat Select goes direct for BizAv wifi
• SmartSky goes live!
• Jet ConneX hits 1,000 installs for Inmarsat
• Gogo announces Jet Edge as 5G launch customer
• IFC Trash Talking