Page 59 - SAMENA Trends - November-December 2021

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Inmarsat Eyes Fresh Capabilities As I-6 F1 Satellite Launches

British satellite operator Inmarsat has maritime customers, as well as new IoT to maritime and government customers.
successfully launched its first dual- applications emerging from Elera including Inmarsat CEO Rajeev Suri notes in a
payload satellite into orbit. The hybrid L- in agritech, transportation and utilities. statement that the Indo Pacific region
and Ka-band satellite — a double-decker With Elera, as underpinned by the I-6s, will especially benefit from the targeted
bus-sized system known as I-6 F1 — will Inmarsat vows it will offer “the fastest capacity provided by the launch of I-6 F1.
ensure the continuation of Inmarsat’s L-band speeds available to customers, the Ground stations in Western Australia will
critical L-band-supported aviation and smallest low-cost terminals and a more support the satellite, which is expected
maritime safety services, while providing connected, sustainable and safer world”. to formally enter service in 2023. Notably,
targeted capacity to its high-speed In terms of new applications, Inmarsat the I-6s are backwards-compatible with
Global Xpress (GX) network. I-6 F1 is also urges us to: Think commercial UAVs for existing Elera and Global Xpress terminals,
expected to help Inmarsat unlock a new disaster response and medical deliveries; enabling current and future customers to
generation of capabilities for customers, autonomous transport; monitoring of the benefit from new and enhanced service
including a raft of Internet of Things (IoT) oceans and supporting greener energy capabilities, says Inmarsat. The successful
applications. Manufactured by Airbus, the solutions; intelligence, surveillance and I-6 F1 satellite launch marks the start of
I-6 F1 satellite on 22 December was ferried reconnaissance (ISR); and industrial and what Inmarsat assures is a fully funded
into space by a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries agricultural IoT connecting billions of technology roadmap that will see the
H-IIA rocket, which lifted off from the JAXA machines and devices. Meanwhile, the launch of a further six satellites by 2024.
Tanegashima Space Center in Japan. I-6 Ka-band payload on each I-6 satellite will US satellite operator Viasat will be able to
F1 adds to Inmarsat’s existing global fleet add further depth of capacity to Inmarsat’s tap into this remarkable satellite capacity —
of 14 geostationary satellites. A second current five-satellite Global Xpress and indeed placement on aircraft and ships
L-/Ka-band hybrid satellite, known as constellation, which supports broadband worldwide — when it completes its planned
I-6 F2, is expected to round out the I-6 cabin connectivity for a growing list of $7.3 billion acquisition of Inmarsat in the
constellation next year. Together, they airlines (Lufthansa, Qatar Airways and second half of 2022. Viasat, meanwhile,
represent a step change in the capacity Singapore Airlines to name a few), in is readying to launch the first of a three-
of Inmarsat’s L-band satellite services. addition to providing mobile connectivity satellite ViaSat-3 constellation in 2022.
The London-headquartered firm’s current
L-band network — recently branded Elera —
has long supported crew communications
and safety services for aviation and
maritime customers, including secure
voice and data. Indeed, when industry is
not grappling with a global pandemic, over
12,000 aircraft use Inmarsat’s Classic Aero
service, which is accessible over its prior-
generation Inmarsat I-3 and I-4 satellite
systems. And Inmarsat’s advanced
SwiftBroadband-Safety service is provided
over its I-4 constellation. (Inmarsat’s I-5
series of broadband satellites comprise
its current Global Xpress constellation.)
According to Inmarsat, the I-6 F1 satellite
alone “will provide 50% more capacity than
the entire I-4 generation of Elera satellites”.
In addition to providing redundancy
and ultimately a replacement path for
prior gen L-band satellites, the two I-6s
will support new capabilities including
advanced safety services for airlines and

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