ViaSat plans massive ground network

May 25, 2017 - ViaSat plans massive ground network of smaller gateways for ViaSat-2 and ViaSat-3 satellites WASHINGTON — To maximize the capacity from its soon-to-launch ViaSat-2 high-throughput satellite, ViaSat intends to deploy twice as many ground stations as it did for ViaSat-1. For its forthcoming trio of ViaSat-3-series satellites, ViaSat wants “hundreds of gateways” to ensure sure each satellite is capable of hitting the 1 terabit-per-second throughput benchmark the Carlsbad, California-based operator set last year. Speaking with investors May 23, ViaSat Chairman and CEO Mark Dankberg said the only way to guarantee each satellite hits its throughput goals was to modernize the ground infrastructure that links the satellites back to the internet. “The maximum amount of user bandwidth a broadband satellite can deliver to its users can’t be anymore than the amount it draws from the fiber internet backbone,” he said. “So to get more capacity, you need more gateways.”