Viasat: High-Speed Satellite Internet & Connectivity Solutions

Welcome to the Viasat Enterprise Buying Guide. In an era where connectivity is the lifeblood of business operations, Viasat stands out as a global leader in satellite communications. Unlike traditional ISPs that rely on physical cables, Viasat utilizes a sophisticated constellation of high-capacity satellites to deliver high-speed broadband to virtually any location on Earth.

This guide is designed for IT directors, network engineers, and procurement specialists who need to solve connectivity challenges in "hard-to-reach" areas or ensure 100% uptime through diverse-path redundancy. You will learn about Viasat’s high-capacity GEO satellite network, its integration capabilities with modern SD-WAN architectures, and the specific business requirements needed to leverage satellite internet effectively. Whether you are connecting a remote construction site, a fleet of aircraft, or a suburban retail branch requiring a failover solution, this guide provides the technical and operational insights necessary to evaluate Viasat as a strategic partner.

Viasat’s enterprise solutions focus on high capacity and reliability:

• High-Capacity Throughput: Leveraging Ka-band technology to deliver download speeds up to 100+ Mbps, significantly higher than legacy satellite providers.
• Unlimited & Priority Data Tiers: Business-grade plans that prioritize enterprise traffic over residential users during peak congestion periods.
• Diverse Path Redundancy: Provides a completely independent communication path that does not rely on local telephone exchange infrastructure or terrestrial cable routes.
• TCP Acceleration: Built-in hardware and software optimization to mitigate the effects of satellite latency on web browsing and file transfers.
• Global Coverage: A growing constellation (including the ViaSat-3 platform) designed to provide near-global high-speed coverage.
• Managed Services: Options for end-to-end network management, including equipment leasing, installation, and 24/7 proactive monitoring.

• Construction & Energy: A remote mining site in Western Australia uses Viasat to provide high-speed connectivity for site offices, enabling real-time telemetry from machinery and video conferencing for engineers.
• Retail Failover: A national pharmacy chain implements Viasat as a secondary WAN link. When a local fiber cut occurs, the SD-WAN automatically routes credit card processing and prescription databases over the satellite link, preventing downtime.
• Disaster Recovery: A state emergency management agency keeps Viasat "Fly-away" kits ready. During a hurricane, they can deploy portable satellite terminals to restore communications in 30 minutes when cell towers are down.
• In-Flight Connectivity: A major airline utilizes Viasat’s high-capacity Ka-band network to provide "home-like" streaming Wi-Fi to hundreds of passengers simultaneously across transcontinental flights.

Viasat Enterprise pricing is typically structured around three main drivers:

• Service Tier (Speed): Prices scale based on maximum download/upload speeds (e.g., 35/4, 60/5, or 100/10 Mbps).
• Data Allowance: While many plans offer "unlimited" data, they are governed by "Priority Data" buckets. Once the priority bucket is exhausted, speeds may be throttled during congestion. High-usage enterprise plans carry a premium.
• Hardware & Installation: Buyers can choose to purchase equipment upfront or pay a monthly lease fee. Professional installation is a standard one-time cost.
• Contract Term: Standard enterprise contracts range from 12 to 36 months, with discounts available for longer commitments or multi-site deployments.
• Add-ons: Costs for Static IPs, persistent technical support, and specialized mobile/maritime terminals.

To deploy Viasat, the following technical prerequisites must be met:

• Physical Space: A mounting location (roof, pole, or ground) for a satellite dish (usually 75cm to 1.2m in diameter).
• Line of Sight: An unobstructed view of the southern sky (in the northern hemisphere). Obstacles like trees or tall buildings will degrade or block the signal.
• Power: Standard AC power (110/220V) for the satellite modem and any indoor networking equipment.
• Cabling: RG-6 coaxial cable run from the outdoor dish to the indoor modem (typically limited to 150 feet without amplification).
• Network Compatibility: A router or firewall capable of handling a DHCP or Static IP handoff from the Viasat modem. Organizations using VoIP or Video should ensure their equipment supports jitter buffering.

To successfully implement Viasat, organizations should consider the following:

• Installation Logistics: Clear "line-of-sight" to the southern sky (for geostationary satellites) is required. Facilities teams must coordinate roof access and mounting permits.
• Bandwidth Management: While Viasat offers high speeds, satellite data is a shared resource. IT teams should have policies in place for prioritizing mission-critical traffic over recreational streaming.
• Latency Awareness: Because Viasat uses geostationary (GEO) satellites, round-trip latency is higher than fiber (typically 600ms+). Business processes must be compatible with this delay (e.g., avoiding high-frequency trading or certain real-time twitch-response applications).
• Stakeholder Buy-in: Operations and IT must align on the use case—whether it is primary connectivity or a secondary "always-on" backup.

A typical Viasat implementation follows this schedule:

• Discovery & Site Survey (Week 1): Assessment of geographic location, data requirements, and physical site survey to ensure clear line-of-sight.
• Order Processing & Equipment Shipping (Week 1-2): Hardware (modem and dish) is dispatched to the site.
• Installation (Week 2-3): Professional installation by a certified technician. This typically takes 3-5 hours per site.
• Network Integration (Week 3): Configuration of the Viasat modem with existing routers, firewalls, or SD-WAN appliances.
• Go-Live & Testing (Week 3-4): Performance validation and handover to the local IT team.
• Note: Timelines can be accelerated for emergency deployments or extended for complex multi-site rollouts.

Viasat provides tiered support structures for business customers:

• Standard Business Support: 24/7 phone and email support with standard ticketing.
• Enterprise Priority Support: Dedicated account managers and technical lead contacts for large-scale deployments, with faster SLA-backed response times.
• On-Site Service: Field technician dispatch for hardware repairs or realignments, typically available within 24-48 hours depending on location.
• Self-Service Portal: An online dashboard for real-time data usage tracking, billing management, and signal strength monitoring.
• Professional Services: Consulting for complex network design, especially for maritime and aviation integrations.

Viasat is designed to be "plug-and-play" with standard networking stacks:

• Standard Ethernet Interface: The Viasat modem provides a standard RJ45 Ethernet handoff, making it compatible with any modern router or firewall.
• SD-WAN Compatibility: Viasat is a preferred transport layer for SD-WAN providers (like Velocloud, Silver Peak, or Cisco Meraki) to provide path redundancy.
• Static IP Support: Available for businesses requiring inbound access for VPNs, remote management, or hosting local servers.
• API Access: For enterprise-level customers, Viasat provides APIs for usage monitoring, billing integration, and terminal status checks.
• VPN Support: Supports standard IPsec and SSL VPNs, though performance optimization (TCP acceleration) is recommended for best results over satellite.

Viasat maintains rigorous security standards suitable for government and enterprise use:

• Encryption: Data is encrypted over the satellite air interface to prevent interception.
• Physical Security: Viasat ground stations and data centers are highly secure facilities with restricted access.
• Compliance: Viasat services can be configured to support HIPAA and PCI-DSS compliance when used in conjunction with appropriate end-to-end encryption (VPNs).
• Government-Grade Security: As a major contractor for the U.S. Department of Defense, Viasat offers specialized "high-assurance" networking for sensitive applications.
• Private Networking: Options for private backhaul, allowing traffic to bypass the public internet entirely and route directly to a customer's data center.