Viasat’s headquarters in Carlsbad, California. Photo: Viasat

Viasat continues to put a lot of focus on the IFC market and has launched its next-generation solution for commercial aviation, Viasat Amara. Viasat aims to bring improvements in core satellite network design, hardware advancements, and a suite of digital products. Viasat said the solution will include smart network enhancements and application-level data linking to satellites in multiple orbits. It will offer guaranteed quality of service and flexible business models. The operator announced Viasat Amara during Aircraft Interiors Expo on April 8.

The company also announced a new step in its antenna strategy. It is bringing to market a proprietary electronically steered antenna (ESA) terminal, Viasat Aera. The antenna is designed to enable dual-beam connections across satellites in Geostationary Orbit (GEO), High Earth Orbit (HEO), and Low Earth Orbit (LEO) with a single antenna.

The new terminal is under development and is devised to dynamically adapt connectivity in a way that capitalizes on the strengths of all available transmission assets, delivering a streamlined experience for each application in use across the global network. Viasat expects it to enter commercial service in 2028. The company said taht upgrading to the new Viasat Aera terminal is designed to be achieved in less than a day by re-using the ARINC 791 antenna attach points with no change to the in-cabin network.

“Viasat Amara goes far beyond fast and free high-speed Wi-Fi. It’s a cutting-edge solution designed to meet the unique needs of each airline and every individual user – and in real-time across a smart multi-orbit network. Our pioneering mission remains to help our airline customers maximize connectivity’s enormous potential for brand, loyalty, and growth,” Don Buchman, SVP & GM, Global Commercial Aviation, Viasat said in a statement.

This comes after Viasat announced a capacity deal with Telesat for Lightspeed LEO capacity this week. The operator plans to add LEO capacity to its solutions for aviation, maritime, enterprise and defense markets, once Lightspeed is operational.