Last fall I noted that satellite broadband operator WildBlue had stopped taking new orders entirely in a number of states because they lacked adequate capacity. Resellers told me the ISP stopped taking new orders in Ohio, Michigan, Iowa, Louisiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Northern Indiana and parts of Texas. One problem was the company struck partnership deals with major operators (like AT&T) without ensuring they had the capacity to handle that growth. Like HughesNET, WildBlue has a "Fair Access Policy," otherwise known as daily caps.

This morning the company tells me they've added the capacity for 150,000 additional customers since the beginning of 2008, bringing their total customer capacity to around 640,000 customers. The capacity isn't coming from a new bird (given their history on that front users probably shouldn't hold their breath). The new capacity comes from the addition of "enhanced transmission link hardware and software technologies" that provide the carrier with a 50% capacity boost across existing radio links. They're promising further capacity expansion later this year.

"When you're the fastest growing broadband satellite provider, you have to continue to provide room to grow," WildBlue CEO David Leonard says in a statement (you think?). "Our total system capacity to date is now 31 percent above where we started the year which is great news for our retailers and wholesalers who are working hard to bring on new customers." Keep an eye on our WildBlue forum to see if this is more than just lip service.