Carlsbad, Calif.-based ViaSat [VSAT] finalized a contract with Telesat Canada to supply gateways and terminals for Telesat’s consumer Ka-band services on the Anik F2 satellite. Under the pact, ViaSat would deliver and install a complete Ka-band broadband satellite system, including gateways, a network management system and terminals. The contract carries an initial value of approximately $9 million.

Telesat’s Anik F2 is a Ka-band satellite that will concentrate its transmissions into powerful spot beams focused on specific coverage areas, rather than the continent-wide beams that most of today’s satellites use. Spot beam satellites are designed primarily for broadband data/Internet applications and, therefore, they generally can support more customers than can traditional satellites.

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