CARLSBAD, Calif., Oct 08, 2009 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- ViaSat Inc. (Nasdaq:VSAT) has received a $46 million contract award from Star Satellite Communications Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Al Yah Satellite Communications Company PrJSC (Yahsat), for SurfBeam(R) 2 network infrastructure and initial customer premises terminals. The equipment will power an advanced new high-speed Internet access service called YahClick. Under the contract, ViaSat will deliver and install four complete satellite broadband gateways, provide equipment and installation for a network control center, supply a pilot production quantity of user terminals, and support Yahsat with network operations and maintenance services.

YahClick, targeted to enterprise customers and consumers in the Middle East, Africa, and Southwest Asia, is expected to go live upon the launch of YahSat's second satellite, Y1B in the second half of 2011. Y1B includes a spot-beam Ka-band payload designed to support broadband access networks for a range of applications. Ka-band spot beam satellites re-use frequencies to maximize spectrum efficiency for more network capacity. On the ground, the design enables use of smaller, lower cost terminals, antennas, and transceivers.

"YahSat has shown its leadership in the region by assembling an entrepreneurial team to architect, implement, and deliver the YahClick network services across a broad range of markets," said Mark Dankberg, chairman and CEO of ViaSat. "The Yahsat 1B Ka-band payload will be the first of its kind in this area of the world, having been expressly designed to support state-of-the-art satellite network access services."

"YahClick will play a key role in connecting communities and creating informed societies by bringing cost-effective high speed Internet to millions of people," said Jassem Al Zaabi, CEO of Yahsat. "We wanted the right partner and found ViaSat's breadth of applications, operational expertise, and business relationships a perfect fit with our goals."

The next-generation SurfBeam 2 network is designed for the latest Ka-band spot beam satellites. The system has been selected to bring to market well over 200 Gbps of aggregate satellite capacity serving four continents in the next few years. That capacity represents more than a ten-fold increase over the combined global Ka-band capacity in service today. SurfBeam 2 provides satellite operators with unprecedented economies of scale in terms of satellite network infrastructure efficiency and, especially, customer premises terminal operation flexibility and price points.

About Al Yah Satellite Communications Company (www.yahsat.ae)

Yahsat is a United Arab Emirates-based satellite communications company providing multipurpose satellite communications services to commercial and governmental clients in the Middle East, Africa, Europe and South-West Asia. With a wide portfolio of voice, data, video and internet connectivity solutions, Yahsat satellites are designed based on market requirements and future applications.

Yahsat is partnering with the consortium of EADS Astrium, Thales and Alenia Space to build a hybrid satellite communications system. The first satellite Y1A is being built and will be launched in the first quarter of 2011, and Y1B will follow in the second half of 2011.

Yahsat is owned by Mubadala Development Company, an investment firm that is helping to diversify Abu Dhabi's economy through capital intensive investments and by building businesses. Mubadala establishes new companies and acquires strategic holdings in existing companies, either in the UAE or abroad. In partnership with world class investors, the company actively manages investments in strategic sectors including energy, real estate, healthcare, aerospace and services. These investments diversify and further develop the growing economy of Abu Dhabi, while achieving superior returns on its investments.

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 and products to the U.S. government; and is the primary technology partner for gateway and customer-premises equipment for consumer and mobile satellite broadband services. ViaSat also offers design capabilities and a number of complementary products including monolithic microwave integrated circuits and modules, DVB-S2 satellite communication components, video data link systems, data acceleration and compression, and mobile satellite antenna systems. ViaSat is based in Carlsbad, CA, has major locations in Duluth, GA, and Germantown, MD (Comsat Laboratories division), and has additional field offices and service centers worldwide.

Safe Harbor Statement

Portions of this release, particularly statements about the launch of the Y1B satellite, deliveries of products and services to Yahsat and SurfBeam 2 system performance, 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. The Company refers you to the documents it files from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission, specifically the section titled Risk Factors in the Company's Form 10-K, which contain and identify other important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in our projections or forward-looking statements. Stockholders and other readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date on which they are made. We undertake no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements.

SurfBeam is a registered trademark of ViaSat Inc.

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. All additional products are trademarks of their respective owners.

SOURCE: ViaSat Inc.

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