Telesat orders Ka-band terminals for broadband
One of the world's leading satellite operators has signed a deal to buy terminals that use GaAs MMICs to provide broadband communications services to consumers.
The US company Viasat will supply Telesat with its DOCSIS-for-satellite terminals, which operate in the Ka-band at 26-40 GHz.
And Viasat will be incorporating satellite modems and Ka-band transceivers based on GaAs MMICs made by its Arizona-based subsidiary US Monolithics as a key part of these terminals.
Viasat says that its terminals use a networking technology that can exploit the available satellite bandwidth efficiently, which translates to cheaper services for consumers.
Telesat, the Canadian company that in 1972 launched the first domestic commercial communications satellite to be deployed in a geostationary orbit, had already chosen Viasat to supply the critical technology for the Anik 2 satellite just over a year ago.
"Telesat is committed to using the best technologies available to bring affordable broadband services to consumers," said Dave Lahey, the satellite operator's VP of business development.
"Viasat's terminals will help Telesat deliver a superior satellite broadband service that can help make the "digital divide" a thing of the past," continued Lahey.
Viasat says that Telesat's multi-year purchase order will bring the number of its DOCSIS terminals on order worldwide to almost 200,000 units, thus establishing the technology as a serious alternative for broadband access.
