PARIS and CARLSBAD, Calif., Feb. 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Society of Satellite Professionals International (SSPI) today announced that they have bestowed Industry Innovators Awards on Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL) and ViaSat Inc. (NASDAQ: VSAT) in recognition of the development and launch of their High Throughput Satellites, KA-SAT and ViaSat-1.

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Both companies are transforming the landscape for satellite broadband and are delivering a broadband experience matching terrestrial services through KA-SAT and ViaSat-1.

The SSPI Awards recognise outstanding new contributions to the field of satellite communications by private and public sector organizations. Honorees are chosen by a committee of industry experts for accomplishments ranging across a broad spectrum of advanced satellite technology and business applications. The Awards will be presented on March 12 during the Satellite 2012 conference in Washington DC.

In a joint statement, Michel de Rosen, CEO of Eutelsat and Mark Dankberg, CEO of ViaSat said: "It is an honour for our efforts to be rewarded by the SSPI and encourages both our organizations to pursue our vision to deliver high quality broadband services to the millions of consumers lacking high speed broadband. The innovative services offered today on KA-SAT and ViaSat-1 are just the beginning of this transformation of satellite."

KA-SAT

Launched in December 2010 and in service since May 2011, Eutelsat's KA-SAT satellite marked the long-awaited arrival of faster Internet for users in Europe and the Mediterranean Basin beyond range of terrestrial networks. The satellite delivers throughput of over 70 Gbps with high frequency reuse achieved via 82 spotbeams. KA-SAT powers the Tooway™ broadband service, the first to implement ViaSat's high-capacity technology, to provide speeds of up to 10 Mbps download and 4 Mbps upload, making it the fastest satellite broadband service within its footprint and comparable to ADSL. Speeds of up to 50 Mbps download and 20 Mbps upload address professional markets. With 30 million homes in KA-SAT's coverage still unserved or underserved by ADSL, KA-SAT is on the way to making a significant contribution to meeting pent-up broadband demand from consumer and enterprise markets.

ViaSat-1

October 2011 saw the launch of ViaSat-1, the world's highest capacity satellite, offering 140 Gbps of total throughput over the USA and Canada. In January 2012 ViaSat launched its ViaSat-1 based Exede(SM) high-speed Internet service, offering speeds up to 12 Mbps downstream and up to 3 Mbps upstream. In addition to residential service, the new ViaSat high-capacity satellite system is designed to simultaneously deliver a wide range of enterprise and mobile broadband services. Professional customers can choose from a family of terminals for enterprise, on-the-move, and portable applications. ViaSat is also working with JetBlue to create the industry's best in-flight broadband for commercial aviation, with a planned service launch by the end of 2012.

About SSPI

The Society of Satellite Professionals International (www.sspi.org) is a nonprofit member-benefit society that serves satellite professionals throughout their working lives. With chapters in the Americas, Europe and Asia, SSPI works to attract new talent to the industry, helps satellite professionals advance in their careers, works to increase the professional standing of members and honors extraordinary achievement by satellite professionals and the companies they work for.

www.sspi.org

About Eutelsat Communications

Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL, ISIN code: FR0010221234) is the holding company of Eutelsat S.A.. With capacity commercialised on 29 satellites that provide coverage across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and significant parts of Asia and the Americas, Eutelsat is one of the world's three leading satellite operators. Eutelsat's satellites broadcast more than 4,000 television channels and also provide a wide range of fixed and mobile telecommunications services and TV contribution services. Eutelsat's broadband subsidiary, Skylogic, markets and operates access to high speed internet services through teleports in France and Italy that serve enterprises, local communities, government agencies and aid organisations in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas. Headquartered in Paris, Eutelsat and its subsidiaries employ just over 700 commercial, technical and operational professionals from 30 countries.

www.eutelsat.com

About ViaSat Inc. (www.viasat.com)

ViaSat delivers fast, secure communications, Internet, and remote network access to fixed sites or on-the-move. The company provides networking products and managed network services for enterprise IP applications; is a key supplier of network-centric military communications and encryption technologies and products to the U.S. and allied governments; and is the primary technology partner for gateway and customer-premises equipment for consumer and mobile satellite broadband services. Based in Carlsbad, Calif., ViaSat has established a number of worldwide locations for customer service, network operations, and technology development.

SOURCE ViaSat Inc.; Eutelsat Communications