Benzinga | Nov 16, 2020 08:05AM EST

Viasat And Infostellar Sign Global Real-Time Earth Agreement

TOKYO and CARLSBAD, Calif., Nov. 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Viasat Inc. (NASDAQ:VSAT), a global communications company, and Infostellar Inc., a Japanese Ground Segment as a Service (GSaaS) start-up, today announced it signed a Real-Time Earth (RTE) agreement. Through the collaboration, Viasat will act as a market channel lead for Infostellar services in the U.S., Infostellar will act as a Japanese market channel lead for Viasat's growing RTE network and Viasat will become a preferred supplier of antennas for Infostellar's expanding network of ground stations.

Viasat's RTE network provides GSaaS globally to the commercial and government earth observation and remote sensing communities. The RTE service offers affordability and reduced latency through automation and geographic diversity on a pay-per-use basis. Viasat's RTE service supports next-generation and legacy low earth orbit (LEO) satellites using the S-, X- and Ka-bands, which enables satellite operators to meet current and future data requirements.

John Williams, vice president, RTE services at Viasat, commented, "Viasat is focused on changing how data is delivered from space. For example, our RTE solution increases the value of data by tapping into our global RTE antenna network that is strategically located worldwide to reduce latency. By aligning with Infostellar, we expect to drive the RTE industry forward as we grow our network in terms of locations, like in Japan, and cloud-based GSaaS capabilities."

Infostellar's flagship service, StellarStation, is a cloud-based software platform that enables the virtualization of ground stations around the world to provide GSaaS to leading companies in the emerging space economy. With backing from key industry players such as, Airbus Ventures, Daiwa Energy & Infrastructure, Mitsubishi UFJ Lease & Finance, and Sony, Infostellar is poised for substantial growth in the global space arena.

Naomi Kurahara, founder and CEO of Infostellar, added, "We are incredibly excited about the opportunity to join with Viasat in this cooperative RTE agreement. Our services and approach to the marketplace are very complementary and compatible, as are our diverse locations in key world markets. Having Viasat RTE as our market channel partner in the U.S., as well as our preferred supplier of ground stations truly positions Infostellar right at the center of the growing global GSaaS market."