WASHINGTON — Satellite communications equipment supplier ViaSat Inc. will provide one mobile and two fixed UHF-band network control stations to the NATO alliance under a $14 million contract ViaSat announced Oct. 11.
The fixed sites will be used to support NATO operations in Afghanistan, the Balkans and other theaters. The portable control station will be used for rapid response in other areas where the alliance is engaged. All three are to be installed and in operation by late 2011, ViaSat said.
Carlsbad, Calif.-based ViaSat said it will be delivering its RT-1830 and RT-1829 satellite communications terminals, as well as antennas, networking gear, installation and post-installation support services, under the contract.
The portable control station will use a demand assigned multiple access (DAMA) channel simulator, which allocates bandwidth on a per-user basis, “to increase NATO operational responsiveness to locations anywhere in the world,” ViaSat said.
Dave Porter, ViaSat’s business director for tactical satellite communications, said the portable controller “allows NATO to use efficient sharing of channels on satellites that are outside the coverage area” of the two fixed control stations.
