Telesat invests US$5 million in Farcast to develop fully integrated User Terminals for Telesat Lightspeed satellite network

Executive Summary

• Telesat announced an expanded partnership with satellite‑terminal startup Farcast, including a US $5 million equity investment and a seat on Farcast’s board.
• Under the agreement Farcast will deliver an enterprise‑class flat‑panel antenna (FPA) user terminal fully integrated with the Telesat Lightspeed modem, slated for volume production beginning in 2027.
• The collaboration builds on a pre‑production program that started in 2022 and is intended to enhance Telesat’s Lightspeed LEO network offering to telecom, enterprise, aviation and defence customers.

Key Details

• Equity Investment: Telesat will invest US $5 million in Farcast (Telesat LEO ULC).
• Board Representation: Telesat will obtain a seat on Farcast’s board of directors.
• Product Deliverable: Farcast to supply an enterprise‑class Flat Panel Antenna (FPA) user terminal, fully integrated with the Telesat Lightspeed modem.
• Technology Highlights: Farcast’s Active Electronically Scanned Antenna (AESA) enables simultaneous transmit/receive from a single aperture, delivering reduced size, weight, power and cost (SWaP‑C).
• Development Timeline: Hardware iterations have been built and tested; full integration and volume production of the terminals are planned for 2027.
• Strategic Rationale: The partnership aims to broaden Telesat Lightspeed’s value proposition, offering high‑performance, low‑cost terminals for enterprise, telecom, aviation and defence markets.
• Historical Collaboration: Telesat and Farcast have cooperated since 2022 on a pre‑production development program to mature the technology for Lightspeed network use.

Notable Quotes

• “We see value not only in what Farcast can provide for Telesat’s telecom and enterprise customers, but also the wider satellite industry for mass‑produced, high‑performing terminals…” – Michel Forest, Chief Technology Officer, Telesat.
• “Our collaboration with Telesat has been a cornerstone of our journey… to ensure mission‑critical connectivity for Telesat’s customers.” – Siamak Ebadi, Founder & CEO, Farcast.