ViaSat-1 Flyaway mobile internet via SurfBeam 2 Pro Portable Terminal
A while back I found this reference to the “Flyaway” portable satellite internet kit by ViaSat. It fit the entire dish, modem, and router into a large suitcase and it utilizes the super-fast ViaSat-1 satellite:
How ViaSat’s Exede makes satellite broadband not suck | Ars Technicahttp://arstechnica.com/business/2012/01/how-viasats-exede-makes-satellite-broadband-not-suck/The home market isn’t the only target for Exede service. ViaSat is also going after mobile and remote applications, including a satellite “fly-away” kit that packs into a 25-pound, airline-checkable suitcase and can be used to transmit live high-definition video feeds or serve as a link for disaster recovery operations. It draws about 75 watts of power, and can be run off portable solar panels or a battery. Stefan Jucken, ViaSat’s director of strategic business development, said that ViaSat will also sell a vehicle-mounted dish that automatically points itself at ViaSat-1.
After reading those tantalizing bits of info, for quite some time I was unable to locate any more info on the “Flyaway” kit 🙁 However, I finally found out more about it. It is available as the Surfbeam 2 Pro Portable. Here is an article on Engadget about it and an accompanying video:
Live from Camp Pendleton with ViaSat SurfBeam 2 Pro Portable (video) — Engadgethttp://www.engadget.com/2012/02/13/viasat-surfbeam-2-pro-portable/broadband, california, connection, connectivity, hands-on, internet, ka band, ka-band, KaBand, launch, Pro Portable, ProPortable, remote, remote broadband, RemoteBroadband,…
Overall, very cool stuff though Engadget lists the prices at an astronomical $20,000 USD 🙁
PDF datasheet with additional info and sales contact info:
http://www.viasat.com/files/assets/surfbeam2_ProPortable_Datasheet_015_web.pdf
PDF brochure with marketing info:
http://www.viasat.com/files/assets/SurfBeam2_ProPortable_010_web.pdf