Satellites come in many shapes and sizes for a variety of missions. Here's a podcast version of one of our more popular posts on the Viasat Stories blog.
Episodes

Monday Oct 17, 2022
Sumeet Singh: Revenue opportunities above and beyond
Monday Oct 17, 2022
Monday Oct 17, 2022
The many ways in-flight connectivity can help airlines
In this episode of the podcast, host Alex Miller speaks with Sumeet Singh, who serves two roles at Viasat: chief data officer as well as vice president and general manager of our Media and Mobile Apps division (MAPs). This conversation focuses on that second role, where Viasat is showing our airline partners how they can use the in-flight connectivity (IFC) services we offer to expand advertising and other revenue opportunities while also providing additional services and benefits to passengers.
Topics in this podcast episode include:
- A bit of background about Singh, whose diverse career in communications software, cloud technologies and technology partnerships, edge computing and even venture capitalism put him in an ideal position to explore the potential of Viasat’s IFC services
- The focus of the MAPs team in creating ancillary revenue for Viasat as well as our airline customers atop the core business of IFC — poised to reach upwards of 200 million passengers
- How advertising on aircraft is changing from the traditional seatback magazine to a diverse portfolio of other opportunities made possibly by IFC
- How ancillary revenue can help offset the cost of IFC for airlines
- The ways in which these business models could one day apply to other modes of transportation — from cruise ships to trains, buses, and more
- The direct access platform that has the potential to connect mobile phone carriers to the Viasat network for a seamless experience from ground to air

Thursday Aug 18, 2022
Lena Hall on the importance of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at Viasat
Thursday Aug 18, 2022
Thursday Aug 18, 2022
In this episode of the Viasat podcast, host Alex Miller catches up with Lena Hall, who is the new global head of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) at the company. The Howard University grad has an impressive history working in change management and is ideally suited to help Viasat move ahead with its DEI efforts in the coming years.
Topics covered in this episode include:
- Why most companies are paying a lot more attention to topics surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion
- How the ‘equity’ piece came to be included and what it means
- Addressing some of the pushback we’ve seen in recent years against some of the progress made in these areas
- What DEI might look like in the coming years for Viasat and other companies
- Turning DEI initiatives into action and how to embed it into company culture

Friday Jun 24, 2022
Keven Lippert on Viasat’s business in the UK
Friday Jun 24, 2022
Friday Jun 24, 2022
Ongoing work with MOD and pending Inmarsat acquisition are top priorities
In this episode of the Viasat Podcast, host Alex Miller speaks with Keven Lippert, Viasat chief commercial officer, about the company’s business in the UK. Viasat has been active in the UK for a number of years — particularly with the Ministry of Defence — and is growing its footprint with new offices, more personnel and a pending acquisition that will greatly enhance its presence in the country.
Topics covered in this podcast episode include:
- A bit of history on Viasat in the UK, including our acquisition of Stonewood in 2010 that has been the foundation for the encryption products we provide for the UK Ministry of Defence;
- How the acquisition of RigNet in 2021 has also expanded our presence in Scotland with products and services for the energy industry;
- The upcoming ViaSat-3 constellation and how the second satellite over Europe, the Middle East and Africa represents another large investment in broadband infrastructure in the UK;
- The company’s new office in the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus and our relationship with the UK Space Agency as well as the European Space Agency;
- The pending acquisition of global satellite operator Inmarsat and how it will enhance our network in the UK and beyond.

Tuesday Apr 19, 2022
Viasat’s Ken Buer on phased array antennas
Tuesday Apr 19, 2022
Tuesday Apr 19, 2022
How the technology and a growing global network position Viasat
In this episode of the Viasat Podcast, host Alex Miller talks with Ken Buer, chief technical officer for our Viasat Arizona office, about phased array antenna technology and the shift to Commercial Satellite Internet (CSI) applications. As Buer explains, CSI is a pivot away from purpose-built satellites, such as those created by the U.S. Government, to a model where commercial satellite operators such as Viasat provide a more economical solution that also affords customers the latest, updated technology and a global network. He also details how phased array antennas with beam-forming capabilities will be key to realizing the most benefit out of CSI.
Topics discussed in this podcast episode:
- CSI improvements via a new generation of phased array antennas, which have the ability to electronically form beams to work with multiple satellites as well as for moving objects such as planes, ships and trains
- How several locations within Viasat are collaborating on phased array antenna designs aimed at improving their performance as well as reducing their cost
- How flat-panel phased array antennas can be ideal for things such as fighter aircraft, where the ability to move the antenna quickly is vital and the low-profile design reduces drag
- Viasat’s vertically integrated model and how Buer, as a system designer, says it give him the freedom to better optimizing how software is integrated with hardware
- The company’s ability to provide end-to-end security and capability
Forward-Looking Statement
This podcast discussion 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 expected benefits and performance of Viasat’s government business and military communications capability, and the ViaSat-3 satellite constellation. 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: risks associated with the construction, launch and operation of satellites, including the effect of any anomaly, operational failure or degradation in satellite performance; contractual problems, product defects, manufacturing issues or delays, regulatory issues, and technologies that do not perform according to expectations. 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.

Wednesday Apr 13, 2022
How big is that satellite? A primer on satellite categories
Wednesday Apr 13, 2022
Wednesday Apr 13, 2022

Wednesday Mar 30, 2022
All about Viasat’s defense business with Craig Miller
Wednesday Mar 30, 2022
Wednesday Mar 30, 2022
In this episode of the Viasat Podcast, host Alex Miller chats with Craig Miller, President of Government systems at Viasat. A veteran of over 25 years with the company, Miller took on the top job with the division in May of 2021. In this interview, he discusses his path at Viasat and gets into what’s ahead in the coming years as the defense landscape is shifting significantly.
Topics covered in this podcast include:
- The transformational changes coming to military operations and communications
- How SATCOM as a service enables defense forces to more quickly adapt new technology, stay up to date more easily, and realize more cost savings along the way
- Multi-domain operations and how they relate to the Department of Defense efforts to align communications within and between the branches of the military
- How Viasat is positioned to help with the National Defense Space Architecture effort being led by the Space Development Agency
- The crucial role of security amid growing threats and how Viasat’s well-established cybersecurity expertise gives it an edge
- The ways in which using multiple orbits and a hybrid approach could be the ideal solution for military SATCOM in the coming years
- How the upcoming ViaSat-3 global constellation has the potentialy to vastly improve the Viasat network’s capacity and coverage, all of which stands to greatly benefit our government customers
Forward-Looking Statement
This podcast discussion 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 expected benefits and performance of Viasat’s government business and military communications capability, and the ViaSat-3 satellite constellation. 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: risks associated with the construction, launch and operation of satellites, including the effect of any anomaly, operational failure or degradation in satellite performance; contractual problems, product defects, manufacturing issues or delays, regulatory issues, and technologies that do not perform according to expectations. 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.

Monday Mar 21, 2022
In-flight connectivity trends with Don Buchman
Monday Mar 21, 2022
Monday Mar 21, 2022
Viasat’s head of commercial aviation on how the industry is roaring back
In this episode of the Viasat Podcast, host Alex Miller welcomes back Don Buchman, vice president and general manager for Commercial Aviation. It’s been a challenging couple of years for the aviation industry, but as it pulls out of the pandemic slump, Buchman sees a growing trend for airlines to improve their in-flight connectivity service.
As passengers increasingly expect Wi-Fi in the air to perform like what they get at their homes and offices, Viasat’s high-capacity satellite network has been able to deliver that kind of experience. At the same time, Buchman says, airlines are looking at ways to add value in other ways beyond just connectivity.
Topics touched on in this podcast:
- The growing trend for airlines to up their game in the in-flight connectivity space
- How offering free Wi-Fi in the air can be a viable business model
- The ways in which streaming video is greatly increasing bandwidth demand and how Viasat is poised to address that
- New airline customers Viasat has added in the past year and the continued growth of the company’s Commercial Aviation division
- The rapid pace at which Viasat has been installing systems on aircraft
- The importance of “capacity density” when it comes to meeting demand — even at busy airport hubs
- Considerations around satellites in different orbits and how a future hybrid network could offer the best of all worlds
- The upcoming ViaSat-3 constellation and how its capacity and global coverage will be a boon for our airline customers

Wednesday Feb 23, 2022
A brief history of internet service providers
Wednesday Feb 23, 2022
Wednesday Feb 23, 2022
From the early days of dial-up to ultra-high capacity satellite ISPs like Viasat, a quick look of how internet has changed over the years.

Friday Feb 18, 2022
Brendan Sullivan on how operational AI is changing business
Friday Feb 18, 2022
Friday Feb 18, 2022
In this episode of the Viasat Podcast, host Alex Miller sits down with Brendan Sullivan, senior vice president of Intelligent Edge Solutions. This is a new division of the company that includes Intelie, an operational AI platform that came to Viasat with the 2021 acquisition of RigNet.
While artificial intelligence and big data are certainly industry buzzwords, Sullivan offers some concrete examples of how operational AI can help sensor-dependent industries realize significant efficiencies, cost reductions, and added safety by making thousands of calculations a second. Combined with the connectivity power of Viasat, IES also offers video intelligence, cybersecurity, and the power of hybrid networks to bring sophisticated tech to remote operations.
Topics touched on in this podcast include:
- How the energy industry is benefiting from operational AI, as well as other areas where Viasat Intelligent Edge Solutions can be effectively applied in the future
- The ways in which digital augmentation can drive substantial savings with small tweaks that add up incrementally
- The importance of educating customers about the right way to implement an AI platform and interpret the data
- The current global presence of IES and how loyalty with its current customers can aid in Viasat’s global expansion
- How the connectivity power of Viasat will super-charge what Intelie can do, and how Intelie has the potential to be instrumental managing parts of the Viasat network

Thursday Jan 27, 2022
How satellite internet works - mini-cast
Thursday Jan 27, 2022
Thursday Jan 27, 2022
Ever wondered how satellite internet works? Here's a brief outline of how it's similar in many ways to traditional internet providers, but with a few key differences.