ViaSat Gets First FAA Approval of In-flight Connectivity/Entertainment System

ViaSat received its first Federal Aviation Administration supplemental type certificate (STC) for its in-cabin distribution system, it said Monday. It's the first of two STCs the company said it expects to receive for in-flight entertainment and connectivity, with the second expected in Q1 for its hybrid Ku/Ka-band antenna system. ViaSat's in-cabin distribution system -- deployed on Virgin America -- ties its antenna system to the in-flight entertainment system, providing Internet connectivity to passenger devices and distribution of broadcast TV over satellite to the onboard seatback display. The company also said Monday it has begun licensing its digital signal processing and forward error correction cores for 100G optical transport.