Brazil flag. Photo: Via Freepik/Wirestock

Viasat has reached a distribution agreement with Sky Brasil, the largest satellite pay TV operator in Brazil, for its satellite internet service. In the agreement announced Tuesday, Sky will sell, install, and provide on-site service for Viasat internet service. Viasat said this association gives the company a strategic local partner and channel to meet its goal of offering connectivity options to all Brazilians. 

Viasat launched residential internet service in Brazil in July 2020, and by October 2020, the company reported that it was the first satellite Internet Service Provider (ISP) to offer high-speed broadband connectivity across 100% of the country. The service uses capacity from Telebras‘ SGDC-1 satellite. 

“This is an exciting move for Viasat in Brazil and an important part of our distribution strategy,” commented Bruno Soares Henriques, Viasat Brasil’s commercial director. “Since the launch of our commercial service, we have seen the growing demand for connectivity outside of the fiber footprint, and believe our Sky partnership will help reach Brazilians who live in unserved or underserved areas where other terrestrial services are not available.”

In a recent interview with Via Satellite, Viasat’s new CEO Rick Baldridge talked about how the company works with local resources to push its home broadband business in different parts of the world. 

“When we look at our broadband business globally, we are proud to be doing well in Mexico and Brazil; we recently kicked off activities in Guatemala; have a nascent start in Africa; and are starting to understand the Australian market quite well,” Baldridge said. “We are building a set of tools that aren’t a one size fits all set of tools, but tools that take into consideration local market characteristics.”