Viasat, Intercorp Perú to provide community internet service in LatAm, Caribbean

Global communications company Viasat Inc. struck an agreement with multisector business group Intercorp Perú Ltd. to provide satellite-enabled internet service in communities across Latin America and the Caribbean with little or no connectivity.

The internet service will use capacity from the ViaSat-2 satellite and initially cover Jamaica, Guatemala and Honduras, a Nov. 9 statement said. The coverage will be extended to portions of South America once the ViaSat-3 satellite is in service, following its targeted launch in 2022.

Intercorp will provide additional investment and resources as well as distribution and fulfillment support to help speed up the rollout of the community internet service. Its tie-up with Viasat could be expanded to other vertical markets in the target regions.

The companies tapped The Central America Bottling Corp., or CBC, a multinational beverage corporation and PepsiCo Inc. bottler, as a distribution partner for the rollout of the connectivity service initially in Guatemala and Jamaica.

Viasat recently agreed to acquire British satellite telecommunications company Inmarsat Group Holdings Ltd. for $7.3 billion.