{"id":397995,"date":"2025-09-04T19:08:15","date_gmt":"2025-09-04T19:08:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/397995\/"},"modified":"2025-09-04T19:08:15","modified_gmt":"2025-09-04T19:08:15","slug":"viasat-readies-giant-f2-satellite-to-help-it-compete-against-starlink","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/397995\/","title":{"rendered":"Viasat Readies Giant ‘F2’ Satellite to Help It Compete Against Starlink"},"content":{"rendered":"

Viasat<\/a> is ready to finally launch a next-generation satellite that promises to drastically increase the US company\u2019s capacity to serve users.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The ViaSat-3 F2 is scheduled to launch in the second half of October, the company announced<\/a> today. It\u2019ll ride onboard an Atlas V 551 rocket from United Launch Alliance, and is expected to “provide more bandwidth capacity” than Viasat\u2019s existing fleet, effectively doubling the company’s network capacity.<\/p>\n

\n
\n This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
\n <\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The F2 will also try to make up for a stumble with the earlier ViaSat F1, which launched in 2023 as a high-orbiting geostationary satellite over 22,000 miles above the planet. It was designed to upgrade the Viasat network for customers across the Americas. But the satellite suffered a malfunction<\/a> with its large reflector, a component developed to boost the F1\u2019s broadband capacity.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Viasat salvaged the rest of the F1’s capabilities, and it entered<\/a> into service a year ago, supplying broadband to commercial jets operating over North America. Still, the company\u00a0indicated<\/a>\u00a0in an earlier earnings call that it planned to have the F2 take over and serve customers in the Americas while shifting the F1 to Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.\u00a0A third F3 satellite is planned for Asia. <\/p>\n

\"Roadmap<\/p>\n

\n (Credit: Viasat)\n<\/p>\n

Thursday’s announcement didn’t mention what kind of speeds the F2 will offer and if it’ll focus on serving enterprise and government customers over regular Viasat users. But it’s clear the company has a lot riding on the F2\u2019s success, which is slated to enter service in early 2026. Unlike SpaceX\u2019s Starlink, which spans thousands of low-Earth orbiting satellites, Viasat relies on a smaller collection<\/a> of geostationary satellites to supply broadband to users on the ground.<\/p>\n

Satellite industry analyst for Quilty Space, Caleb Henry, noted<\/a>: \u201cAfter the antenna malfunction on the F1 satellite, F2 stands to be the highest capacity GEO satellite ever. This is to be the biggest test of GEO vs LEO.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The F2 is scheduled to launch as Viasat has been losing subscribers. Last month, the company reported having 172,000 fixed broadband customers in the US, down<\/a> from 257,000 a year earlier. To attract new users, Viasat has been offering<\/a> a new \u201cEssentials\u201d plan that costs $49.99 for the first three months of service before it increases to $69.99.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Recommended by Our Editors<\/p>\n

\u201cViasat Essentials is its lowest-priced residential plan to date,\u201d the company told PCMag last month, although the plan caps the high-speed data to 150GB per month. Still, the company has an \u201cUnleashed<\/a>\u201d service offering that features unlimited data for $79.99 for the first three months before the rate increases to $99.99.\u00a0<\/p>\n

However, Viasat\u2019s satellite internet service can experience<\/a> long latency times of around 680 milliseconds while offering slower internet speeds compared with Starlink, according to a survey from Ookla. In the US, Starlink now serves over 2 million active customers after initially launching back in 2020.<\/p>\n

\"5<\/p>\n

\"PCMag<\/p>\n

5 Things to Know About Starlink Satellite Internet<\/p>\n

Disclosure: Ookla is owned by Ziff Davis, PCMag\u2019s parent company.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Newsletter<\/p>\n

\n Get Our Best Stories!\n <\/p>\n

Your Daily Dose of Our Top Tech News<\/p>\n

\"What's<\/p>\n

Sign up for our What’s New Now<\/strong> newsletter to receive the latest news, best new products, and expert advice from the editors of PCMag.<\/p>\n

Sign up for our What’s New Now<\/strong> newsletter to receive the latest news, best new products, and expert advice from the editors of PCMag.<\/p>\n

\n By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use<\/a> and Privacy Policy<\/a>.\n <\/p>\n

Thanks for signing up!<\/p>\n

Your subscription has been confirmed. Keep an eye on your inbox!<\/p>\n

About Michael Kan<\/p>\n

\n Senior Reporter\n <\/p>\n

\"Michael<\/p>\n

I’ve been a journalist for over 15 years. I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017.<\/p>\n

\n
\n Read Michael’s full bio
\n <\/a>\n <\/p>\n

Read the latest from Michael Kan<\/p>\n