Enciclomedia Brings Together Pegaso Banda Ancha, PanAmSat and ViaSat to Provide Internet Connectivity to Mexico's Schools

WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Pegaso Banda Ancha and PanAmSat announced today that they will help deliver Mexico's Enciclomedia Internet interconnectity program to over 13,000 elementary schools throughout the country. Concurrently, ViaSat announced that it has finalized a contract to supply its SurfBeam(R) DOCSIS-for-satellite broadband satellite networking system to Mexico-based Pegaso Banda Ancha for the 13,000-plus school sites. The deliveries of the network hub and terminals have already begun.

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"Through our strategic relationships with ViaSat and PanAmSat, we will be able to provide service to this very important project that will contribute to the progress of education in every corner of Mexico," said Javier Braun Burillo, general director of Pegaso Banda Ancha.

The Pegaso Banda Ancha network will connect to the Internet backbone through the PanAmSat teleport in Atlanta, Georgia, using extended Ku-band capacity on the PAS-1R satellite. PAS-1R, one of the largest and most powerful commercial geostationary satellites ever launched, offers an expanded and enhanced reach throughout the Americas, the Caribbean, Europe and Africa. The Atlanta teleport is PanAmSat's primary satellite transmissions gateway to Africa, Europe, Latin America and North America. It provides crucial turnaround services between the Atlantic Ocean Region and the U.S.

"Through PanAmSat's powerful and reliable fleet, Pegaso Banda Ancha's satellite-delivered communications network and ViaSat SurfBeam terminals, our companies' efforts will help contribute to the roll-out of Enciclomedia, bringing today's technological advances in education to young students in Mexico," said Joe Wright, CEO, PanAmSat.

The mission of the Enciclomedia initiative is to modernize rural, suburban and urban schools throughout Mexico by installing electronic blackboards, computers, UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply) and sensors to monitor the classroom activity. Initially, Pegaso Banda Ancha will provide the interconnectivity to monitor the classroom as well as Internet access. Additional throughput and bandwidth can be provided as needed.

"We're very proud that Pegaso has chosen our SurfBeam system for this very large scale Enciclomedia system," said Jorge Vespoli, vice president of worldwide sales for ViaSat. "Based on our DOCSIS-for-satellite technology, this project is unprecedented in terms of its scale, leading technology and the speed of deployment and activation."

The ViaSat DOCSIS-for-satellite system is a new approach to broadband satellite communications that makes satellites a very cost-effective medium for broadband delivery through very efficient use of satellite bandwidth, low-cost consumer terminals and mature back office and customer service systems. The open standard network adapts the cable modem networking standard called DOCSIS(R) (Data-Over-Cable Service Interface Specifications) to satellite transmission. Because the DOCSIS broadband networking standard is already used by millions of terrestrial cable customers, the technology is highly developed and low-cost in terms of modem chipsets, hub (head end) hardware, installation and customer support.

About Pegaso Banda Ancha (http://www.pegasobandaancha.com/)

Pegaso Banda Ancha is owned by Grupo Pegaso, a private group headed by Mr. Alejandro Burillo Azcarraga which has interest in various economic sectors in Mexico and the U.S. focusing on the telecommunications sector. The Company owns 51 percent of PanAmSat de Mexico which offers satellite bandwidth among other satellite services and is the principal partner in Neology Inc., a leading California-based RFID company. It owns and operates various cable television companies throughout Mexico and is also a partner of Acacia Inc., a Mexican company that owns worldwide patents for streaming media. The Company is the largest producer and distributor of sports content in Mexico, radiocasting on Mexico City's AM 730 and nationwide across nearly 45 radio affiliates. The Company founded Las Ventanas al Paraiso Hotel in Los Cabos; owns the Lion's Head Inn in Vail, Colorado; and is an important real estate developer in Punta Mita, Jalisco. It owns the building "Torre A," which is part of the landmark office developments, "Corporativo Arcos."

In addition, Grupo Pegaso owns several professional soccer teams among them "El Atlante." In 2003, through its partnership with the Real Madrid Soccer Club, the Company founded the Real Madrid's first football soccer school outside of Spain. As of today, it operates three schools in Mexico and coaches 1,500 young players each year. It owns Mextenis, the company that since 1993 successfully organized and carried out the Abierto Mexicano de Tenis. Currently, the tournament is one of the most prestigious worldwide and the most important in Latin America. GRUPO PEGASO is also involved in several social and cultural programs and holds investments in more than 30 national and international companies.

About PanAmSat (http://www.panamsat.com/)

Through its owned and operated fleet of 24 satellites, PanAmSat is a leading global provider of video, broadcasting and network distribution and delivery services. In total, the Company's in-orbit fleet is capable of reaching over 98 percent of the world's population through cable television systems, broadcast affiliates, direct-to-home operators, Internet service providers and telecommunications companies. In addition, PanAmSat supports the largest concentration of satellite-based business networks in the U.S., as well as specialized communications services in remote areas throughout the world. For more information, visit the Company's web site at http://www.panamsat.com/.

About ViaSat

ViaSat produces innovative satellite and other communication products that enable fast, secure, and efficient communications to any location. Products include satellite ground equipment, information security devices, tactical data radios, and communication simulators. ViaSat has a full line of VSAT products for data and voice applications, and is a market leader in Ka-band satellite systems, from user terminals to large gateways. ViaSat has locations in Carlsbad, CA, and Duluth, GA, along with its Comsat Laboratories division in Germantown, MD. Additional offices are located in Boston, MA, Washington DC, Australia, China, India, Italy, and Spain.

In addition the company has two wholly-owned subsidiaries: US Monolithics, based in Chandler, AZ designs and produces monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs) and modules for use in broadband communications for military and commercial applications; and Efficient Channel Coding, based in Cleveland, OH is an innovator in satellite communication components and systems, based on the new DVB-S2 standard, that increase the efficiency of today's advanced satellite, wireless, and wire-line communication systems.

Safe Harbor Statement

Portions of this release, particularly statements about future terminal orders and the capabilities of the SurfBeam system, may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. ViaSat wishes to caution you that there are some factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from historical results or from any results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including but not limited to: ViaSat's ability to perform under existing contracts and obtain additional contracts, ViaSat's ability to develop new products that gain market acceptance, changes in product supply, pricing and customer demand, changes in relationships with, or the financial condition of, key customers or suppliers, changes in government regulations, changes in economic conditions globally and in the communications markets in particular, increased competition, potential product liability, infringement and other claims, and other factors affecting the communications industry generally. ViaSat refers you to the documents it files from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission, specifically the section titled Factors That May Affect Future Performance in ViaSat's Form 10-K. These documents contain and identify other important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in our projections or forward-looking statements. Stockholders and other readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date on which they are made. We undertake no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements.

DOCSIS is a registered trademark of Cable Television Laboratories Inc.

Comsat Labs and Comsat Laboratories are trade names of ViaSat, Inc. Neither Comsat Labs nor Comsat Laboratories is affiliated with COMSAT Corporation. "Comsat" is a registered trademark of COMSAT Corporation.