Wednesday, June 19, 2013

ViaSat Ties With Boeing On High Speed Wireless

Carlsbad-based Viasat, the satellite communications operator which is deploying high speed, in-flight wireless Internet in planes, has inked a deal with Boeing, the firm announced this morning. ViaSat the deal with Boeing Commercial Airplanes (BCA) will make its in-flight, Ka-band satellite Internet a new option for Boeing's commercial aircraft. Viasat said the deal means that airlines will be able to receive their Boeing aircraft pre-installed with ViaSat's equipment. The in-factory installation means that airlines will be able to avoid post-production retrofits and out-of-service times required for installation of its equipment. Financial details of the link were not announced. ViaSat said its new, Ka-band satellite service provides high speed Internet at speeds similar to a home broadband connection; the firm's satellite service is behind JetBlue's recently launched, high speed Internet service.