ViaSat-1, manufactured by Space Systems/Loral (SS/L) and launched in October, operates at the 115.1 degrees West orbital slots using nine Ka-band spot beams over Canada and 63 over the United States. Telesat owns the nine Canadian beams on the ViaSat spacecraft and is fulfilling a 15-year capacity service agreement with Xplornet Communications.

   “With the capabilities of ViaSat-1, Internet subscribers in rural Canada are now able to have a superior online experience with true broadband performance. The start of service for ViaSat-1 is an important milestone for Telesat that adds to our record of bringing advanced communications to Canada,” Telesat President and CEO Dan Goldberg said in a statement.