CARLSBAD, Calif., Mar 24, 2009 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- ViaSat Inc. (Nasdaq:VSAT) will demonstrate its next generation satellite broadband service with the highest speeds at the most affordable prices ever offered by the platform, at Satellite 2009, March 24^th thru 27^th in Washington, DC. The demonstration will showcase what ViaSat believes should be the "benchmark" based on the quality and speed of broadband services called for by the Government broadband stimulus initiative.

With plans to launch in 22 months, ViaSat-1 is a next generation Ka-band broadband satellite that is designed to be the highest capacity payload ever launched into space. ViaSat-1 is expected to have more capacity than the combination of all other satellites in operation over the United States. Once operational, ViaSat-1 will offer 2-10 Mbps, or higher, download speeds at retail prices competitive with comparable terrestrial services. ViaSat-1 is the first of a new class of high capacity satellites anticipated to play an important role in the administration's drive to stimulate the deployment and adoption of Internet broadband in unserved and underserved areas of the U.S.

"Having provided broadband equipment to over half a million unserved customers in North America, we have been focused on reaching this community for over a decade. We have the history and appreciation for the needs and challenges in delivering broadband to these people efficiently, wherever they are," said Mark Dankberg, CEO and chairman of ViaSat. "Our next generation technology demonstration, delivering speeds of 5Mbps on average, is proof that a satellite service, with the appropriate speed and bandwidth allocation, is actually better than most existing terrestrial broadband services - especially DSL and wireless. For the first time, satellite can support large video downloads, streaming HD, media rich Web sites, good quality VoIP, video chat, and gaming. With so much bandwidth available on our satellite we can relieve the congestion that clogs existing satellite services - and deliver surprising speed and responsiveness. Many telecom providers are arguing that it is impossible to provide these speeds of service to the unserved and rural communities. We're putting that fallacy to rest this week with this demonstration. Plus, our satellite service will be an open network platform - enabling a range of competitive retail service providers and offerings everywhere it reaches."

Tom Moore, SVP of ViaSat and president of ViaSat Satellite Holdings, added, "The U.S. is lagging France, Japan, Korea, and other countries in terms of Internet speeds. At a minimum, it seems to us that broadband providers that receive government subsidies need to be held accountable for some minimum quality of service. The ongoing policy should focus on an appropriate definition of service levels that will be available to everyone in the U.S. in 2011, not the technology platforms. Regulating the means, instead of the desired end result, is more likely to inhibit innovation. Without straightforward quality metrics of speed and bandwidth allocation per user it will be impossible to determine any measure of effectiveness of the $7 billion infrastructure capital investments the government is about to make."

The demonstration will take place at ViaSat booth #429. ViaSat is also participating on several conference panels and keynote speeches at Satellite 2009, including:

• IP Protocol in Space (Tuesday, March 24^th, 10:30-11:45am)
  • Kristi Jaska, Vice President of Strategy
• CEO Roundtable: Managing Growth in Uncertain Times (Tuesday, March 24^th, 4:15-5:30pm)
  • Mark Dankberg, Chairman and CEO
• How Fast is too Fast? Betting the Ranch on Technology Adoption (Wednesday, March 25^th, 3-4:15pm)
  • Tom Moore, President, ViaSat Satellite Holdings
• Comms-on-the-Move - Mobility and Portability (Thursday, March 26^th, 10:15-11:30am)
  • Ric VanderMeulen, Vice President, Government Satcom Systems
• Satellite Services Enabling Broadband on the Move (Thursday, March 26^th, 10:15-11:30am)
  • Bill Sullivan, Director of Strategy, Mobile Broadband Systems
• Satellite Broadband: Finally a Ka-band Competitive Force? (Friday, March 27^th, 9-10:30am)
  • Mark Dankberg, Chairman and CEO

About ViaSat (www.viasat.com)

ViaSat produces innovative satellite and other digital communication products that enable fast, secure, and efficient communications to any location. The company provides networking products and managed network services for enterprise IP applications; is a key supplier of network-centric military communications and encryption technologies to the U.S. government; and is the primary technology partner for gateway and customer premises equipment for consumer and mobile satellite broadband services. The company owns five subsidiaries: US Monolithics, Efficient Channel Coding, Enerdyne Technologies, Intelligent Compression Technologies, and JAST. These companies design and produce complementary products such as monolithic microwave integrated circuits, DVB-S2 satellite communication components, video data link systems, data acceleration and compression products, and mobile satellite antenna systems. ViaSat has locations in Carlsbad, CA, and Duluth, GA, along with its Comsat Laboratories division in Germantown, MD. Additional field offices are located in Boston, MA, Baltimore, MD, Washington DC, Australia, China, India, Italy, and Spain.

Safe Harbor Statement

Portions of this release, particularly statements about the performance and deliveries of ViaSat products and technology, may contain forward-looking statements regarding future events and are subject to risks and uncertainties. ViaSat wishes to caution you that there are some factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, including but not limited to: 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 telecommunications industry generally. In addition, please refer to the risk factors contained in ViaSat's SEC filings available at www.sec.gov, including without limitation, ViaSat's annual reports on Form 10-K and ViaSat's 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.

Comsat Labs and Comsat Laboratories are tradenames of ViaSat, Inc. Neither Comsat Labs nor Comsat Laboratories is affiliated with COMSAT Corporation. "Comsat" is a registered trademark of COMSAT Corporation.

SOURCE: ViaSat Inc.

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