Viasat Inc. (NASDAQ: VSAT), a global communications company, today announced the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved the company's Ka-band In-flight Connectivity (IFC) solution for Gulfstream G450 aircraft, a large cabin jet often deployed on long-distance, international expeditions. With this supplemental type certificate (STC) awarded by the FAA, Viasat's Ka-band connectivity system is now available on more than twenty platforms, including super mid-cabin through large cabin, long range business aircraft.
With over 300 Gulfstream G450 aircrafts in the market, demand is considerable among operators for Viasat's Wi-Fi solution, which enables similar connectivity onboard as experienced on the ground, including the ability to video conference, stream, access corporate VPN and use other business-critical applications during all phases of flight.
This level of consistent, high-quality connectivity is made possible by Viasat's satellite network capacity, which is designed to accommodate current and future broadband demand from increasingly data-hungry applications. In fact, it is not uncommon across Viasat's Business Aviation Ka-band network for a single aircraft to use more than one GB per hour, with streaming and browsing primarily driving data usage.
Claudio D'Amico, Viasat's business area director, Business Aviation, said: "Viasat's high speed and high-quality Ka connectivity is at long last available to Gulfstream G450 aircraft operators. With over 90 percent of business aviation routes covered by our Ka network, our solution is a great fit for operators that want fast, reliable connectivity that matches the long-range profile of this aircraft."
VSAT dropped 96 cents, or 3.2%, to $28.97.
