ViaSat’s Russian VSAT Victory

ViaSat Inc. [NASDAQ: VSAT] has expanded its contribution to universal communications access in Russia, having installed over 1,000 LinkStar S2 satellite networking terminals over the past year. Working through Russian service provider HeliosNet, the VSAT network deployments also include three LinkStar DVB-S2 hubs. HeliosNet has won rights to provide USO (Universal Service Obligation) services in 11 regions comprising 1,524 villages using LinkStar VSATs (Very Small Aperture Terminals). The Russian Federal Communication Agency USO program is installing communal Internet access points for all remote area populations in the Russian Federation. The access points host communication services such as Web browsing, e-mail, education, entertainment, and government information access. The hub-based LinkStarS2 system incorporates the DVB-S2 waveform that offers up to 30 percent greater bandwidth efficiency, substantially reducing network operating costs and increasing network capacity. In addition to DVB-S2 savings, the LinkStar system now also includes ACM (Adaptive Coding and Modulation) in which the downstream carrier dynamically changes its modulation and coding in response to changing link conditions. In environments prone to unpredictable and heavy weather, ACM provides up to 46 percent reduction in satellite bandwidth compared to a non-ACM implementation of DVB-S2. The LinkStarS2A system also includes ViaSat-exclusive Dynamic Link Adaptation (DLA) to provide operators even more improvements in performance reliability when satellite signal strength degrades—Carlsbad, California