6GWorld recently put some questions to Mark Dankberg, CEO and Co-Founder of Viasat and Chair of the MSSA [Mobile Satellite Services Association] about the market and his aims. With the unprecedented pace of change within both terrestrial and satellite telecommunications, including the recent merger of terrestrial DISH with satco EchoStar, the attitude and approach of an industry veteran such as Dankberg is a useful indicator.

You can also find video footage of Dankberg at 6GSymposium last month, where he engaged in an in-depth conversation with RCR’s Kelly Hill.

Q: Viasat is pursuing the direct-to-device [D2D] market, as indeed is MSSA. What are the main challenges to delivering services at scale, and how do you see the terrestrial players engaging?

Viasat has been excited about the potential of direct-to-device services for some time, whether services are enabled using satellites in geostationary or non-geostationary orbits, or through partnerships with other providers. We have for some years pursued a hybrid and multi-orbit strategy and plan on continuing to do so.

Direct-to-device is a broad term which encompasses many different use cases, but we believe our primary opportunities are in direct-to-handset mobile device connectivity, automotive, and mass Internet-of-Things (IoT) solutions for industries. We describe these three key areas as ‘connecting consumers, movers, and business users.’  We are also exploring the use of D2D technologies in a defence environment, where we aim to co-develop bespoke solutions with government partners based on their specific needs.

Our vision for direct-to-device is one where an open, transparent, collaborative ecosystem can deliver the best possible experiences and cost efficiencies for end customers.

One of the challenges associated with delivering connectivity at scale is the broad scope of use cases – covering anything from smart watches to niche remote monitoring solutions for agriculture. This means we want to expand our innovation and work with partners to enable solutions that bring connectivity to more people, as part of our wider vision to connect the world.  Viasat intends to continue progressing its offering with potential partners as subsequent 3GPP standards are released and is closely watching the development of NR-NTN services.

Q: We’ve recently seen the merger of Dish and EchoStar. What do you make of that as a business move? Do you think this is an outlier or the beginning of a trend in companies owning both terrestrial and non-terrestrial assets?

It is not for us to comment on other company’s plans or decisions. However, Viasat is excited about the potential for integrating terrestrial and non-terrestrial services. Indeed, we are already doing so in a number of custom-built solutions for various segments, including NexusWave: a scalable, bonded network solution providing global coverage, speed, capacity, security and resilience to meet the enterprise-class operational needs and crew welfare demand of the global shipping industry.

Q: Satellite and terrestrial services have tended to have quite different technology or asset lifecycles. Is that necessarily a problem, and are you seeing changes in this regard?

We don’t see this as a particular issue, as we have long term experience managing complex satellites and ground infrastructure. Our strategy is simple: add more bandwidth for global capacity and coverage, plan design better through dynamic capacity allocation and demand forecasting, and to efficiently augment our organic broadband global capacity with operational productivity enhancements and select third party partnerships. Implementing this plan will require continuous innovation across all our technology – including satellite, terrestrial, and the associated infrastructure and software to tie it all together effectively.

Q: People have talked about high-altitude platform stations [HAPS] for quite a while but without a huge amount of market impact yet. If you see a future for them, what kind of role do you expect them to play compared to Viasat, for example? Would you consider using them to extend Viasat capability closer to the Earth?

Our satellite roadmap does not currently include HAPS. A part of our wider strategy is to augment our organic global broadband capacity with operational productivity enhancements and select third-party partnerships, and some of our services currently include terrestrial connectivity, but not HAPS.

Q: What are the big challenges ahead for Viasat that keep you awake at night?

While we wouldn’t say it keeps us awake at night, one of our key priorities right now is to add more bandwidth for global capacity and coverage. We already have 5 Ka-band and 3 L-band satellites under construction, so we have a significant pipeline of capacity coming online over the next few years that will support our growth.

For example, in August, our partner Space Norway confirmed the successful launch of the Arctic Satellite Broadband Mission satellites. The two satellites – ASBM-1 and ASBM-2 –host the GX-10A and GX-10B Ka-band payloads, alongside payloads for the Norwegian Armed Forces and US Space Force. These will extend Viasat’s high-speed global network across the Arctic region for the first time and will be the first payloads we operate outside of geostationary orbit. The satellites are currently undergoing in-orbit testing and are aimed to enter service early-mid 2025.

As evidenced by our recent agreements with LEO components for maritime and enterprise, we are working with partners and customers evaluating how to best meet customer needs across all our mobility markets and operating bands – including using our own or third party multi-orbit space assets. We can and will provide system solutions at both geostationary and non-geostationary orbits that are responsive to our customers. There are benefits to different orbits for different purposes and operating bands, and we intend to combine them effectively and purposefully.

From a technology perspective, we are most excited about the technology advances we’ve tested in VS-3, despite the antenna anomaly. We have additional complementary technology initiatives under way with internal and external funding that fits our budgets. We are working on applying some of those in different RF bands and at different orbits. Of course, we are also mindful of the international regulatory environment and are planning to comply with provisions necessary to meet our customers objectives – taking into account positions expressed by many nations at the recent ITU WRC-23.

Following our Inmarsat acquisition, as a combined company we have a larger set of space assets, a larger and more diverse set of customers who have a different set of needs and our future space investments will be aligned with those needs.