ViaSat Inc. is acquiring Wild Blue Communications Inc., a provider of high-speed Internet access via satellite, for $568 million in cash and stock, the companies said Thursday.

Privately held Wild Blue, in which Liberty Media Corp. holds a 37 percent stake, will become an operating subsidiary of ViaSat, which makes satellite communications equipment for defense and consumer markets.

Carlsbad, Calif.-based ViaSat plans to buy Wild Blue for $443 million in cash and $125 million in new common stock. Liberty Media, controlled by media mogul John Malone, will appoint a representative to ViaSat’s board. Mark Carleton, senior vice president at Liberty, is Wild Blue’s chairman.

ViaSat is planning to launch a satellite in the first quarter of 2011 that will enable Wild Blue to offer speeds of 2 Megabits per second to 8 Megabits per second — closer to those offered by cable operators. Currently, Wild Blue’s speeds top out at a DSL-like 1.5 Mbps.

ViaSat plans to hold prices essentially the same for consumers, which range from $39.95 to $79.95 a month for speeds of 512 kilobits per second to 1.5 Mbps.

Wild Blue, based in Denver, serves 400,000 subscribers of which around 90 percent have dial-up Internet access as their only alternative. The company holds 44 percent of the U.S. satellite ISP market.

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