...2013 Edison award from the internationally renowned Edison Universe organization, which recognizes systems and services that are at the forefront of innovation. Exede service is the recipient of a bronze award in the IT/Computing category. With download speeds of 12Mbps, Exede service has transformed satellite Internet for households that previously had slow, inadequate Internet service.
The Edison Award is one of the highest accolades a company can receive in the name of innovation and business. The awards are named after Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931) whose inventions, new product development methods, and innovation achievements literally changed the world, garnered him 1,093 U.S. patents, and made him a household name around the world. This award is the third major recognition the Exede service has received this year for innovation and performance. A February 2013 FCC benchmark report showed Exede Internet outperforming all other ISPs in delivering promised speeds to subscribers, with 90 percent of Exede subscribers receiving 140 percent or better of the advertised 12Mbps speed during peak periods. In March, ViaSat-1, the satellite that powers the Exede service, was officially recognized with a Guinness World Records title as the World’s Highest Capacity Communications Satellite.
“The Edison award is especially meaningful to us because of Thomas Edison’s legacy,” said Mark Dankberg, chairman and CEO of ViaSat. “Edison’s inventions were rooted in his ability to identify market needs years into the future, to challenge conventional thinking, and to work with enormous focus and passion. These values are also central to our ability to innovate.”
Dankberg and a team of scientists and engineers were able to envision and design a new high-capacity system for high-speed Internet service. Rather than just building a better satellite, they examined every “point of improvement” for an end-to-end system—encompassing satellite, subscriber terminals, RF equipment, gateway earth stations, software, back office and support, terrestrial backbone, and overall system architecture—to create speed, performance and economics well beyond what was ever believed possible.
In January 2012, the company introduced Exede high-speed Internet service, powered by ViaSat-1. The new service is transforming satellite Internet and lifting the entire industry to a new, more competitive position against terrestrial alternatives. After its first full year of operation, ViaSat-1 supports more than 285,000 subscribers. Approximately 40 percent of new Exede subscribers are choosing the satellite service over other alternatives available to them, such as DSL, cable, and mobile wireless for fixed home use—a major shift from the previous generations of satellite Internet service, considered to be a “last resort” for those with no other Internet alternative.
The Edison Awards is a program conducted by Edison Universe, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization dedicated to fostering future innovators. The awards have been recognizing and honoring the best in innovations and innovators since 1987. They honor game-changing innovations that are at the forefront of new product and service development, marketing and human-centered design and are one of the highest accolades a company can receive in the name of successful innovation.