"Barrett Xplore's decision to exercise its maximum option of 100 percent of Loral's Ka-band capacity on ViaSat-1 (not including that portion of the capacity that uses the non-geostationary orbit spectrum) validates our confidence in the strong and growing importance of broadband over satellite," said Michael Targoff, chief executive officer of Loral Space & Communications. "We are very pleased to help facilitate Barrett Xplore's delivery of high-quality Internet service to rural homes and businesses in Canada."
Loral agreed to invest in the Canadian payload on ViaSat-1, a high-throughput, next-generation broadband satellite, when it was procured in early 2008. The satellite is currently under construction at Space Systems/Loral and is scheduled to begin service in mid-2011.
Barrett Xplore will use the Loral capacity, which provides approximately 12 Gbps throughput, to deliver a robust customer experience for accessing future bandwidth rich Internet applications.
"Our strong working relationship with Loral means that more Canadians will have the infrastructure they need to fully participate in the global economy," said John Maduri, CEO at Barrett Xplore. "ViaSat-1's spot beam design and high capacity Ka-band transponders will help us meet our commitment to providing high-quality broadband service to rural Canadians. This satellite capacity is an integral part of the hybrid-technology strategy we are taking to maximize the availability of our services across Canada."