Oh Canada! The country's largest rural broadband provider, Barrett Xplore Inc., and Loral Space & Communications Inc. [Nasdaq:LORL] today announced that they will deliver high throughput satellite Ka-band capacity for broadband services in Canada. Under the agreement, Loral will lease up to 100 percent of the capacity that it owns on the ViaSat-1 satellite to Barrett Xplore for the expected life of the satellite. ViaSat-1 is currently under construction at Space Systems/Loral and is scheduled for launch in early 2011.

"ViaSat-1's high capacity Ka-band transponders and spot beam design provide Barrett Xplore with the core infrastructure component for its next-generation broadband over satellite capability," said Michael B. Targoff, chief executive officer of Loral Space & Communications. "We are pleased to help Barrett Xplore meet its goal of providing access to broadband for all rural Canadians. Loral has a strong commitment to satellite broadband services throughout the world, and we will continue to look for opportunities to support the growth of this evolving technology."

Barrett Xplore will use the Loral capacity, which will provide 15 Gbps throughput, to deliver a more robust customer experience with higher speeds and bandwidth capacities for accessing future bandwidth rich Internet applications. Barrett Xplore Inc. operates Xplornet Internet Services, Canada's largest rural broadband provider, with customers and dealers in every province and territory. Barrett Xplore aims to bridge the urban/rural digital divide by ensuring that every Canadian, regardless of where they live, has access to broadband, thereby enabling them to compete effectively in the global economy and gain access to essential government and educational services.

"We are very pleased to be working with Loral to provide this additional capacity for rural Canadians on ViaSat-1," said John Maduri, CEO at Barrett Xplore. "With this satellite from Loral, we will continue to deliver on our commitment to provide rural Canadians with high-speed Internet access that enables them to fully participate in the global economy."

Loral is working closely with its affiliate, Telesat Canada, to provide Barrett Xplore with the services it needs, including satellite operations and gateway facility management. ViaSat, Inc., a producer of innovative satellite and other wireless communications systems, will provide the ground infrastructure needed for the ViaSat-1 satellite services.