Viasat, headquartered in Carlsbad, California, is a global communications company that operates high-capacity geostationary satellites for residential broadband, in-flight connectivity, maritime communications, and government services. In 2023, Viasat completed its $7.3 billion acquisition of Inmarsat, creating one of the world's largest satellite communications companies with a multi-orbit fleet spanning GEO, LEO-augmented, and L-band assets.
ViaSat-3 Constellation
The ViaSat-3 system is a planned three-satellite GEO constellation, with each satellite designed to deliver over 1 Tbps of total network capacity — roughly 10× more than ViaSat-2. The first ViaSat-3, covering the Americas, launched on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy in April 2023. However, the satellite suffered a reflector antenna deployment anomaly that significantly reduced its usable capacity. The EMEA and APAC satellites are expected to follow, though the programme has faced delays and cost overruns. Each satellite uses a Boeing 702HP platform with digital payload processing and thousands of spot beams.
In-Flight Connectivity
Viasat is one of the two dominant providers of in-flight Wi-Fi globally (alongside Intelsat / Gogo). The company provides connectivity to airlines including United, American, JetBlue, and numerous international carriers. With the Inmarsat acquisition, Viasat now also operates the GX (Global Xpress) Ka-band aviation service and the legacy SwiftBroadband L-band system used for cockpit and safety communications. The combined portfolio gives airlines the option of multi-layered, globally seamless connectivity.
Residential Broadband
Viasat competes with Starlink in rural and underserved broadband markets, primarily in the United States and, increasingly, in Latin America and Europe. ViaSat-2 provides residential plans with speeds of 25–100 Mbps, though with higher latency (600+ ms round-trip) than LEO services. The residential broadband market is Viasat's most price-sensitive segment and faces increasing competitive pressure from Starlink's growing coverage and lower latency.
Inmarsat Integration
The Inmarsat acquisition brought Viasat L-band spectrum rights (critical for safety-of-life maritime and aviation services), the BGAN and FleetBroadband product lines, and a deep government/defence customer base. Inmarsat's ORCHESTRA programme — a planned multi-orbit network combining GEO, LEO, HEO, and terrestrial 5G — aligns with Viasat's vision of ubiquitous, multi-layered connectivity. Integration of the two companies' ground networks and sales operations is ongoing as of 2026.
Challenges
Viasat faces the fundamental challenge of GEO latency in an increasingly LEO-dominated market. While its capacity-per-satellite figures are impressive, the 600+ ms round-trip latency of GEO broadband is a significant disadvantage against Starlink's 25–60 ms for real-time applications. The ViaSat-3 Americas reflector anomaly has compounded this by delaying the capacity expansion that was intended to maintain competitiveness. The company's strategy now centres on multi-orbit integration — using GEO for bulk capacity and throughput, while leveraging Inmarsat's planned LEO and HEO elements for latency-sensitive services.