ViaSat to double Irish headcount as it looks to build on Arconics buy

Nasdaq-listed tech company ViaSat, which acquired Irish aviation software provider Arconics in late 2016, has said it intends to take on an additional 100 people in Dublin over the next 12 to 18 months.

The news comes as the Californian-headquartered company, announced it is setting up a European software centre in Ireland, where it already employs 100 people.

The communications giant, a provider of high-speed satellite broadband services and secure networking systems covering military and commercial markets, also announced an expansion at its Dublin offices that will enable it to sit up to 250 employees once completed.

ViaSat said the new roles will be across a variety of areas including software engineering and development, design, support, customer success, implementation consultancy, and project management.

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The Dublin-based team will be focused on developing next-generation technology beyond the connected aircraft software initially developed by Arconics. It will include services for the maritime industry, residential broadband customers, and government systems.

Development

The local team will also play a role in the development of the company's next-generation ultra-high capacity satellite platform, known as ViaSat-3. The group announced a public private partnership (PPP) with the European Space Agency to develop key components for the system with European industry last year.

ViaSat, which was established in 1986, employs more than 4,500 people across 26 offices worldwide. It reported revenues of $1.56 billion (€1.27 billion) last year.

The company has increased staff numbers in Ireland from about 30 people following its deal for Arconics, whose customers included Cathay Pacific and Ryanair.

Speaking to The Irish Times, Rick Baldridge, ViaSat's president and chief operating officer, said it had discovered great software talent in Dublin and did not expect there to be too many difficulties recruiting staff.

His colleague Niall O’Sullivan, head of ViaSat Ireland, agreed.

“It is certainly competitive here, there is no denying it, particularly with so many multinational companies in Dublin. But one of the things that attracts people to us is that we are developing leading-edge technology – putting satellites into space and developing applications for end users and this is attractive to software developers,” he said.