Inmarsat's Most Powerful Satellite Enters Service

Mobile satellite communications company Inmarsat confirmed commercial service introduction (CSI) of its newest, most powerful geostationary satellite to date. GX5 is the 14th satellite currently in service with Inmarsat and provides additional capacity to Europe and the Middle East on the Fleet Xpress (GX) Ka-band high-speed satellite broadband service designed for the maritime industry.

The satellite, launched in November 2019, delivers approximately double the combined capacity of the entire existing GX fleet (GX1-GX4). Together with a significantly expanded ground station network and enhanced cloud-based processing, GX5 supplements the global coverage of GX and supports the rapid growth in customer demand for GX services in the region, particularly for maritime sectors such as the leisure, merchant and offshore sectors, Inmarsat said.

The GX network was the first and remains the only globally available high-speed mobile broadband network delivered by a single operator. Inmarsat’s technology roadmap will see a further seven launches by 2024, five in geostationary orbit - adding speed, capacity and resilience - and two in highly elliptical orbit, which will begin the world’s only commercial mobile broadband service in the commercially and strategically critical Arctic region.

Rupert Pearce, Chief Executive Officer of Inmarsat, said, “As the world leader in global mobile satellite communications, we have an ambitious vision for the future and we are progressing the most innovative technology development program in our history to achieve this. During these recent unprecedented circumstances, we have supported our partners and customers with the speed and agility for which Inmarsat has become known globally. We are in this for the long haul, with customer and partner trust based on four-decades of meeting our commitments and a bright future ahead, guided by our technology roadmap. Entry into service of GX5 is the first of several exciting steps ahead for us on that journey.”

Inmarsat said GX is the most successful service launch in company history. The firm will celebrate the fifth anniversary of GX as a globally available service in early 2021.

Peter Hadinger, Chief Technology Officer of Inmarsat, said, “Inmarsat is investing more than ever before to deliver global, highly differentiated technology platforms on which partners and customers can securely invest and innovate for growth. The company’s fully funded technology roadmap will lead to forthcoming launches for our sixth generation of satellites, the I-6s, then on to GX7, 8 & 9 and two Arctic payloads, GX10A and GX10B, to provide further fresh impetus to our GX success story. Our partners and customers can confidently invest in long-term, transformational global digitalization strategies based on Inmarsat’s innovative technology roadmap for the future.”

The services delivered over GX5 will be backwards compatible with existing GX terminals, future-proofing customer investment in GX technology and services.

Pearce concluded, “Anytime and anywhere, our partners and customers are strongly positioned to take advantage of new opportunities as they emerge, based on their ability to deploy our unique portfolio of agile, global, mobile connectivity solutions and services. We believe that reliable, seamless connectivity is now more vital than ever and will play a crucial role in the accelerated adoption of digital technology as the world emerges from COVID-19.”