Viasat to Conduct 5G Network Research with Department of Defense to Support Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations

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Jun 15, 2022, 08:00 ET

CARLSBAD, Calif., June 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Viasat Inc. (NASDAQ: VSAT), a global communications company, today announced it has received an award from U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) through the Information Warfare Research Project (IWRP) to conduct research on the use of 5G to support communications for Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations (EABO). The research will focus on network enhancements, command and control (C2) and delivering advanced processing through the integration of digital twin and agile software defined network (SDN) capabilities. This is the third award Viasat has received as a part of the DoD's $600M research initiative partnering with industry and academic leaders to explore and advance the use of 5G technology on the battlefield.

Viasat is working with the DoD to support development of advanced communications and enable concept of operations (CONOPs) for warfighters. Achieving secure, resilient communications across multiple transports in expeditionary environments is a challenge due to the need to rapidly set up and tear down the network, work across multiple networks and classifications, and operate in austere and contested cyber and electronic warfare (EW) conditions. Through this research, Viasat will explore how 5G networking and partner solutions can integrate to support EABO missions, including needs for Long Range Precision Fires, Forward Arming and Re-Fueling Points (FARP), and persistent Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) capability.

Using a phased approach, Viasat will address specific application areas of 5G dynamic radio frequency (RF) spectrum and adaptive network planning and management to enable Low Probability of Intercept/Low Probability of Detection (LPI/LPD) through enhanced deployment of 5G nodes for EABO. This research will also look at how to enhance 5G RF and network planning with digital twin models, use 5G mobile edge compute (MEC) to enable tactical edge compute with artificial intelligence and machine learning, as well as how to rapidly deploy and operate a mobile infrastructure in a dynamic and contested environment.

"Like the DoD, we see the significant potential for 5G to enhance the warfighter's ability to produce, consume, and make sense of mission critical data at the point and time of need in contested and congested environments to support JADC2 enablement," said Craig Miller, president, Viasat Government Systems. "The ability to swiftly move information and data across the battlespace is essential to the multi-domain and joint-force operations needs of the future. The addition of 5G bandwidth and network management capabilities will support C2 for specific missions and greater visibility across highly dispersed forces in EABO and littoral operations in contested environments."

These research experiments, which will be conducted over four years, will use the Viasat Expeditionary Lightweight Integrated Tactical Edge (ELITE) Kit solution to integrate user tactical applications with a variety of existing and emerging tactical communication networks to bring an enhanced on-site C2 and situational awareness (SA) capability. The research will also leverage Viasat's 5G and tactical networking System Integration Lab (SIL) to integrate digital twin capabilities using network modeling and emulation software for enhanced network planning and simulation. Additionally, Viasat's NetAgility™ product will be integral in enabling intelligent network routing and management applications, combining numerous transports seamlessly to simplify network orchestration.

About Viasat
Viasat is a global communications company that believes everyone and everything in the world can be connected. For more than 35 years, Viasat has helped shape how consumers, businesses, governments and militaries around the world communicate. Today, the Company is developing the ultimate global communications network to power high-quality, secure, affordable, fast connections to impact people's lives anywhere they are—on the ground, in the air or at sea. To learn more about Viasat, visit: www.viasat.com, go to Viasat's Corporate Blog, or follow the Company on social media at: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter or YouTube.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to the safe harbors created under the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements include statements about the timing, features, resources and expected benefits of Viasat's involvement with 5G network research programs and testing for the DoD, as well as the future use and benefits for 5G technology and networks for DoD missions. Readers are cautioned that actual results could differ materially and adversely from those expressed in any forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ include: contractual problems, product defects, manufacturing issues or delays, regulatory issues, technologies not being developed according to anticipated schedules, or that do not perform according to expectations; delays in approving U.S. government budgets and cuts in government defense expenditures; and increased competition and other factors affecting the government and defense sectors generally. In addition, please refer to the risk factors contained in Viasat's SEC filings available at www.sec.gov, including Viasat's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date on which they are made. Viasat undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements for any reason.

Copyright © 2022 Viasat, Inc. All rights reserved. Viasat, the Viasat logo and the Viasat signal are registered trademarks of Viasat, Inc. NetAgility is a trademark of Viasat, Inc. All other product or company names mentioned are used for identification purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective owners.

SOURCE Viasat, Inc.