SHANGHAI, April 23, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- China
In-Flight Connectivity Technology Conference: ICT 2019
-- Viasat Inc.(NASDAQ: VSAT), a global communications company,
and China Satellite Communications Co., Ltd. (China Satcom),
today announced an agreement for a strategic partnership to jointly
provide in-flight connectivity (IFC) services within China for domestic and international
airlines.
Viasat and China Satcom will work in partnership to enable
Viasat's global airline customers to have roaming connectivity when
flying over China; provide IFC
service to domestic flights within China; and enable Chinese airlines to roam
onto Viasat's global network. China Satcom is a licensed
telecommunications service provider in China and also owns and operates the most
capable and extensive Ka-band spotbeam satellite system in
China, which is the only Ka-band
system currently available for IFC service in the country.
A key international destination for leading global airlines,
China is the second largest
aviation market in the world according to research from the
International Air Transport Association. As one of the fastest
growing flying populations globally, and one of the most mobile and
digitally-enabled, there is tremendous national interest in
high-speed, high-quality IFC on flights in country. Yet today only
about four percent of flights within China are connected.
"Our agreement with China Satcom is a significant step towards
realizing a seamless global community of high performance IFC.
China Satcom is now the only satellite operator and licensed
service provider in China with the
bandwidth resources to deliver the in-flight experience our airline
customers have come to expect and depend on," said Don Buchman, vice president and general manager,
Commercial Aviation, Viasat. "Our partnership is a natural way to
extend state-of-the-art services specific to China Satcom's fleet
and the China domestic market, and
create a global roaming alliance for our existing and new domestic
and international customers and the rapidly growing Chinese global
commercial airline fleet. We are honored to work with China Satcom
in China to make IFC-at-scale a
reality."
Viasat and China Satcom will jointly develop and share in future
China-based IFC business.
- Viasat will deliver and support its award-winning IFC equipment
to airlines tailored for use on the China Satcom network. Today
approximately 2,000 global aircraft are already served by, or
planned for use on Viasat's ViaSat-1 and KA-SAT satellites, as well
as compatible satellites operating in Australia, Brazil, and other cooperating regional and
global markets.
- China Satcom will leverage its telecommunications service
provider business license, operating expertise, and existing ground
infrastructure to lead delivery of advanced IFC services to the
airlines. China Satcom's growing Ka-band fleet includes the already
operational ChinaSat-16 satellite as well as ChinaSat-18, planned
for launch later in 2019.
Per the terms of the agreement, each company will maintain its
own intellectual property and will operate its equipment using a
multi-layered approach to network services. This agreement
specifically covers commercial aviation IFC, but could extend into
the development of new connectivity applications for other
ancillary markets in China.
Financial terms of the agreement are not being disclosed.
About Viasat
Viasat is a global communications
company that believes everyone and everything in the world can be
connected. For more than 30 years, Viasat has helped
shape how consumers, businesses, governments and militaries around
the world communicate. Today, the Company is developing the
ultimate global communications network to power high-quality,
secure, affordable, fast connections to impact people's lives
anywhere they are—on the ground, in the air or at sea. To learn
more about Viasat, visit: www.viasat.com, go
to Viasat's Corporate Blog, or follow the Company on
social media
at: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter or YouTube.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains
forward-looking statements that are subject to the safe harbors
created under the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements include statements
that refer to the overall agreement between Viasat and China Satcom
inclusive of in-country China IFC and all roaming agreements;
Viasat's delivery of IFC equipment and services; the sharing of
revenues; a seamless global alliance; the launch of ChinaSat-18;
and the opportunity to expand the agreement into other
applications. Readers are cautioned that actual results could
differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking
statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ
include: contractual problems, product defects, manufacturing
issues or delays, regulatory issues, technologies not being
developed according to anticipated schedules, or that do not
perform according to expectations, and increased competition and
other factors affecting the aviation sector generally. In addition,
please refer to the risk factors contained in Viasat's SEC filings
available at www.sec.gov, including Viasat's most recent
Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q.
Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any
forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date on
which they are made. Viasat undertakes no obligation to update or
revise any forward-looking statements for any reason.
Copyright © 2019 Viasat, Inc. All rights
reserved. Viasat is a registered trademark
of Viasat, Inc. The Viasat logo is a trademark
of Viasat, Inc. All other product or company names
mentioned are used for identification purposes only and may be
trademarks of their respective owners.
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SOURCE Viasat, Inc.