What Farcast does

Farcast (formerly UTVate) is a San Francisco-based satellite communications hardware company founded in 2019 that designs and builds advanced Flat Panel Antenna (FPA) user terminals based on phased array and Active Electronically Scanned Antenna (AESA) technology. The company's core product is a SATCOM user terminal that uses electronic beamscanning — rather than mechanical steering — to maintain satellite links on moving platforms, with claimed reductions in Size, Weight, Power, and Cost (SWaP-C) compared with traditional antenna solutions. Terminals are designed to operate across both Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) and Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellations, making them applicable to a range of constellation architectures.

Farcast's business model is B2B hardware sales of user terminals to three primary customer segments: aviation connectivity providers (exemplified by Gogo Inc., which also holds a strategic equity stake), satellite network operators (exemplified by Telesat, an investor and Lightspeed constellation partner with a board seat), and defense and military aviation primes (exemplified by Lockheed Martin, also a strategic investor). Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is provided via enterprise quotes tied to customer requirements and volume. Production ramp is planned for 2026 with full-scale manufacturing targeted for 2027, meaning the company is currently pre-revenue with all near-term commercial commitments structured through anchor strategic partners that simultaneously serve as investors and likely initial volume buyers.

The company has raised approximately $23.6 million in cumulative funding from a mix of strategic corporate investors (Telesat, Lockheed Martin, Gogo) and venture capital firms (BlueYard Capital, 50Y, Uncorrelated Ventures, MavVenture, Indicator, L2 Ventures, Quiet Capital, Hack VC, Garage Capital), plus individual angel investors. The team is roughly 20 specialists spanning RF, antennas, control systems, embedded software, mechanical, electrical, systems, and production engineering, led by Founder & CEO Siamak Ebadi. Farcast is named among Satellite Today's "10 Hottest Satellite Companies of 2026."

Name

Farcast

Legal name

Farcast Corporation

Website

https://farcast.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Farcast builds advanced flat panel SATCOM user terminals using phased array AESA technology for aviation connectivity providers (Gogo), satellite network operators (Telesat), and defense primes (Lockheed Martin), targeting both GEO and LEO constellations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Satellite Communications Hardware

NAICS

Radio and Television Broadcasting and Wireless Communications Equipment Manufacturing (334220)

SIC

Radio & Tv Broadcasting & Communications Equipment (3663), Computer Communications Equipment (3576)

akta.pro primary industry

Satellite Broadband Terminals & Gateways (VSAT/LEO CPE) (HDAFAIAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Satellite Mobility Connectivity (Maritime, Aviation, Rail, Land Mobile) (HDAIAJAD), Defense Communications (Secure Radios, SATCOM Terminals, Crypto) (IMABAGAG)

Keywords

• Satellite user terminals
• Flat panel antennas
• Phased array technology
• SATCOM hardware
• Aviation connectivity

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. SATCOM User Terminal Hardware Sales: Revenue generated from selling advanced flat panel antenna user terminals to aviation and satellite communication operators. The company plans to begin production ramp in 2026 with full-scale manufacturing in 2027, targeting both commercial aviation and defense markets.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Farcast designs and manufactures advanced Satellite Communications (SATCOM) user terminals based on Active Electronically Scanned Antenna (AESA) Flat Panel Antenna (FPA) technology. Its terminals use phased-array electronic beam steering to support both GEO and LEO satellite constellations, delivering reduced size, weight, power, and cost (SWaP-C) for aviation, military, and commercial connectivity customers.

Product overview

FarCast is a satellite communications technology company that builds advanced SATCOM user terminals. The company offers Flat Panel Antennas (FPAs) using Active Electronically Scanned Antenna (AESA) technology as its core product. These FPAs are designed for multiple satellite orbital configurations including GEO (Geostationary Earth Orbit) and LEO (Low Earth Orbit) networks, serving aviation, military, government, and commercial markets. The proprietary technology reduces size, weight, power, and cost (SWaP-C) compared to traditional antenna systems.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Flat Panel Antennas (FPAs)

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduced size, weight, power, and cost (SWaP-C) compared to traditional satellite antenna solutions
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Hughes Network Systems: Hughes manufactures satellite ground equipment and user terminals and operates satellite broadband services, making it comparable both as a terminal maker and an adjacent LEO/GEO satellite operator ecosystem participant.
• Cobham Satcom: Cobham Satcom (now part of communications equipment portfolios) produces SATCOM antennas and terminals for maritime, aviation, and land-mobile — overlapping Farcast's mobility SATCOM focus across multiple verticals.
• L3Harris Technologies: L3Harris produces defense SATCOM terminals, secure communications, and avionics — a broad incumbent with overlapping defense aviation and secure radio offerings relevant to Farcast's defense customer segment.
• Ball Aerospace: Ball Aerospace manufactures advanced antenna systems and SATCOM hardware for government and commercial space customers, representing a much larger incumbent in the same communications equipment category.
• Honeywell Aerospace: Honeywell supplies avionics and satellite communication systems for commercial and business aviation, including SATCOM terminals that compete in the same in-flight connectivity market Farcast targets through Gogo.

Emerging players

• Satixfy: Satixfy develops chip-based electronically steered antenna technology for satellite communications across aviation, maritime, and IoT — a smaller emerging competitor with overlapping AESA-on-chip approach.
• Phasor / Hanwha Phasor: Hanwha Phasor (formerly Phasor) develops flat panel, electronically steered satellite antennas for commercial aviation, maritime, and defense — an emerging peer pursuing the same mobility SATCOM market.

Direct peers

• Get SAT: Get SAT develops compact SATCOM terminals using flat panel antenna technology for airborne, maritime, and land-mobile applications, directly overlapping Farcast's mobility connectivity focus.
• Kymeta: Kymeta builds flat panel, electronically steered satellite antennas for mobility applications including aviation, maritime, and defense — directly comparable to Farcast's AESA-based user terminal product and target use cases.
• ThinKom Solutions: ThinKom produces phased array and mechanically steered thin-profile antennas for in-flight connectivity and government SATCOM — a direct competitor in the aviation and defense flat panel antenna market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds5 records

Investors14 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Farcast