Telesat to use Farcast antenna user terminal in modems

Mr. Michel Forest reports TELESAT INVESTS US$5 MILLION IN FARCAST TO DEVELOP FULLY INTEGRATED USER TERMINALS FOR TELESAT LIGHTSPEED SATELLITE NETWORK Telesat Corp. has expanded its relationship with Farcast, a San Francisco-based start-up that is building advanced satellite user terminals. Under the new agreement, Farcast will deliver an enterprise-class flat panel antenna user terminal that is fully integrated with the Telesat Lightspeed modem and ready for volume production. Additionally, Telesat is making a $5-million (U.S.) equity investment in Farcast and will take a seat on Farcast's board of directors to support the company's alignment with the goals of the Telesat Lightspeed program. Farcast has developed a unique technology that can simultaneously transmit and receive data from the same aperture in an FPA. This proprietary active electronically scanned antenna technology uses electronic beam scanning to compensate for the movement of satellites and users, and the single-aperture, full-duplex FPA results in reduced size, weight, power and cost. This competitive SWaP-C will further enhance the value proposition for Telesat Lightspeed customers, delivering superior enterprise-class performance worldwide. Telesat and Farcast have worked together since 2022 on a preproduction development program to ensure Farcast's technology reaches the maturity level required to operate on the Telesat Lightspeed network. As a prerequisite for this new agreement and equity investment with Telesat LEO ULC, various iterations of the hardware have been built and tested. The availability of terminals that are fully integrated with Telesat Lightspeed modem is planned for 2027. "Throughout prototype development, we've seen first-hand Farcast's innovative approach to extending satellite communications capability and reach through small form factor FPAs that deliver outstanding performance," said Michel Forest, chief technology officer for Telesat. "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, including aviation and defence applications." "Our collaboration with Telesat has been a cornerstone of our journey to date. By working hand in hand, we are developing FPA technology that will meet the stringent performance and reliability requirements to ensure mission-critical connectivity for Telesat's customers," said Siamak Ebadi, founder and chief executive officer of Farcast. "We believe partnerships like this are vital to creating an open, collaborative satellite ecosystem -- one that drives innovation and expands access." About Telesat Corp. Backed by a legacy of engineering excellence, reliability and industry-leading customer service, Telesat is one of the largest and most innovative global satellite operators. Telesat works collaboratively with its customers to deliver critical connectivity solutions that tackle the world's most complex communications challenges, providing powerful advantages that improve their operations and drive profitable growth. Continuously innovating to meet the connectivity demands of the future, Telesat Lightspeed, the company's state-of-the-art low Earth orbit satellite network, has been optimized to meet the rigorous requirements of telecom, government, maritime and aeronautical customers. Telesat Lightspeed will redefine global satellite connectivity with ubiquitous, affordable, high-capacity, secure and resilient links with fibre-like speeds. We seek Safe Harbor.