Viasat expands connectivity in Brazil with Satcom

Communications company Viasat has partnered with connectivity firm Satcom Direct to expand its service across Brazil.

Due to regulation and taxation requirements in the country, which mean satellite communications must come through a local provider, it was necessary to partner with Satcom Direct as it already has an established presence in Brazil, according to Viasat.

“Satcom Direct has been a reseller for Viasat for many years and they set up that division in Brazil to support customers who are based or registered in Brazil,” said Scott Hamilton, director of strategy for Business Aviation, Viasat. He said that Brazil is one of the largest aviation markets in the world due to its size and remote territory with little infrastructure. “It really points to how flexible we’re able to be, to create a whole new regional service plan for customers who primarily operate in Brazil,” he said.

Claudio D’Amico, business area director for Business Aviation, Viasat, said: “Brazil is about the size of the United States, excluding Alaska, so it really justifies a regional plan since it’s in this corner of the world in a unique spot.”

Viasat has some presence in Brazil already through its partnership with Brazilian government-owned Telebras to operate SGDC-1, a Ka-band satellite which Viasat says covers 100% of Brazil. This partnership with Satcom Direct marks the first business aviation coverage by Viasat in the country.

Earlier this month, Viasat was selected as the connectivity provider for Airshare’s Bombardier deliveries. In June, Viasat’s stockholders voted to approve a $7.3bn deal to acquire Inmarsat, which is expected to close in the second half of this year subject to regulatory approvals.