Viasat to Upgrade NATO UHF Satellite Communications Control Stations to Next-Generation Integrated Waveform

CARLSBAD, Calif., Jan. 3, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Viasat Inc. (NASDAQ: VSAT), a global communications company, announced today it was awarded a contract to upgrade the NATO UHF satellite communications (SATCOM) control stations to comply with the Integrated Waveform (IW) baseline. The upgrade gives NATO greater communications interoperability, scalability and flexibility across legacy and next-generation platforms to enhance situational awareness as the battlespace dynamically expands.

As part of this award, NATO will upgrade its legacy UHF communications network to Viasat's Visual Integrated SATCOM Information, Operation and Networking (VISION) planning and network management platform, the first commercially-available software package to simultaneously support all 25-kHz legacy Demand-Assigned Multiple-Access (DAMA) and next-generation IW networks and services.

The Viasat VISION platform gives network operators real-time capabilities to reconfigure UHF satellite networks to meet new mission profiles on-the-fly. By enabling interoperability between DAMA and IW platforms, NATO can double its channel efficiency without additional investment in the UHF space segment. This optimization doubles the number of users, giving more warfighters access to reliable, high-quality, resilient voice and data communications.

"Networked forces need to be able to receive and execute orders dynamically in the fog of war. With the Viasat VISION platform, we can use our UHF space segment more efficiently as it more than doubles our existing UHF user access," said Giovanni Battista Durando, NATO Communications and Information Agency, Network Services and IT Infrastructure, Satcom Service Area Owner. "We believe the Viasat VISION platform will give NATO network operators more control over communications stations from a single terminal, simplifying operations and offering multi-site flexibility to ultimately increase the network readiness of the warfighter."

The Viasat VISION platform provides a single user-friendly network management interface for legacy DAMA and IW services, inclusive of the ability to locally or remotely manage and control ground station networks, monitor status and system performance, track event/alarm management situations and add/remove services when missions change.

"Frontline warfighters need assured, reliable real-time communications in order to safely execute their missions, especially at the tactical edge," said Ken Peterman, president, Government Systems, Viasat. "Viasat is a global leader in UHF channel control capabilities. Our innovative VISION platform leverages Viasat's decades of UHF SATCOM expertise to enable cost-effective, scalable, interoperable UHF bandwidth from multiple NATO partner nations to support dynamic mission requirements – all without the need for a costly user radio replacement."

For more information about Viasat's VISION platform, watch the video here.

About Viasat
Viasat is a global communications company that believes everyone and everything in the world can be connected. For more than 30 years, Viasat has helped shape how consumers, businesses, governments and militaries around the world communicate. Today, the Company is developing the ultimate global communications network to power high-quality, secure, affordable, fast connections to impact people's lives anywhere they are—on the ground, in the air or at sea. To learn more about Viasat, visit: www.viasat.com, go to Viasat's Corporate Blog, or follow the Company on social media at: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter or YouTube.

Forward Looking Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to the safe harbors created under the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward looking statements include statements about the Viasat VISION UHF capabilities, including DAMA/IW interoperability, number of users that can be managed through its capacity, system flexibility, performance and cost. Readers are cautioned that actual results could differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ include: risks associated with the UHF network, including the effect of any anomaly, operational failure or degradation in UHF satellite or ground segment performance, and the Company's ability to realize the anticipated benefits of its VISION platform. In addition, please refer to the risk factors contained in Viasat's SEC filings available at www.sec.gov, including Viasat's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date on which they are made. Viasat undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements for any reason.

Copyright © 2018 Viasat, Inc. All rights reserved. All other product or company names mentioned are used for identification purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective owners. Viasat is a registered trademark of Viasat, Inc.

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SOURCE Viasat, Inc.