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Viasat, Telesat Officially Team for Multi-orbit Connectivity

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The long teased deal between Viasat and Telesat for LEO capacity is now signed. The “substantial multi-year contract” will see Viasat lease capacity on the Telesat Lightspeed LEO network for its aviation, maritime, enterprise and defense markets.

We are honored to be selected by Viasat – a global leader in satellite-delivered broadband solutions – as a LEO broadband connectivity provider, further validating the unique capabilities Telesat Lightspeed offers to enhance a service provider’s value proposition in the dynamic broadband connectivity market. – Dan Goldberg, President and CEO of Telesat

Lightspeed is the latest partner capacity to be announced for Viasat’s global offering. Chairman and CEO Mark Dankberg notes, “In forming key partnerships with multiple GSO and NGSO operators, we are well-positioned to support delivery of Viasat’s next-generation services, achieve industry-leading resource utilization, and drive capital efficiency.” Dankberg also suggests this move is part of “equitable access to finite space resources.”

Read more: Riyadh Air Taps Viasat for Fast, Free Inflight Wi-Fi

This is a particularly interesting angle given Dangberg’s comments just two months ago in the company’s quarterly earnings call where he suggested “In the longer term I think you’ll see us, over time, participate using our own assets, as well as with partner assets.”

ESAs Eventually

The Telesat release adds that “the thousands of airplanes that have the Viasat GM-40 antenna installed today will be able to access the Telesat Lightspeed network.” There has been some back and forth about that terminal’s efficiency on the LEO network, but the companies appear confident that a rip-and-replace will not be necessary for the initial LEO connection.

Read more: Viasat continues to ride an aviation high

Viasat’s Don Buchman also recently shared with PaxEx.Aero that the company is aiming to have an ESA available “basically before Telesat is fully in operation; that’s the ideal state, to have it out in market, already certified and flying and ready.”

While the companies remain confident the GM-40 will support the LEO services, Buchman recognizes that the ESA option is likely to be a more flexible option moving forward. “We would never put an ESA on just for GEO only,” he explains. But looking towards a multi-beam, multi-orbit end goal, “With Telesat we have a partner where we can do simultaneous operations between LEO and GEO with multi-beam; we have a mission and a date with their constellation that actually has the full [ESA] product coming together.”

Telesat expects the network to be available from late 2027. Viasat plans to integrate the capacity at that time.

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About Seth Miller

Seth Miller has over a decade of experience covering the airline industry. With a strong focus on passenger experience, Seth also has deep knowledge of inflight connectivity and loyalty programs. He is widely respected as an unbiased commentator on the aviation industry.

He is frequently consulted on innovations in passenger experience by airlines and technology providers.

You can connect with Seth via email, on Bluesky, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

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