Will extend firm's coverage over Pacific
Satellite communications provider Inmarsat will launch its third Inmarsat-4 (I-4) satellite later this year after having successfully launched two fourth generation satellites two years earlier, a senior company executive said.
This satellite, third in the constellation, will enable Inmarsat to offer global coverage with its Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN) mobile broadband service, as well as existing services and will extend Inmarsat's coverage over the Pacific area, complementing the Atlantic and Indian Ocean coverage from the firm's current pair of satellites.
"We have already launched two of the fourth generation satellite which are stationed in the space currently. The third new satellite which was supposed to have been launched in the first quarter had to be postponed to a later date this year due to some technical reasons it," Samer Halawi, vice-president (strategic corporate development), Inmarsat, told The Business Weekly.
The Inmarsat-4 (I-4) satellites are among the largest and most sophisticated commercial communication satellites ever built, and are capable of delivering advanced voice and broadband data communications to mobile users. The first in the series, I-4 F1, was launched in March 2005, and has an orbital slot over the Indian Ocean at 64 degrees east.
The second, I-4 F2, was launched in November 2005, and provides coverage for the Americas from an orbital slot at 154 degrees west.
Incremental opportunities
"The third satellite will provide global coverage for our existing BGAN service and will benefit our new broadband maritime and aeronautical services as well as our global satellite phone service. This will provide incremental opportunities for growth in our maritime and aeronautical markets," Halawi said.
Inmarsat has 10 satellites already stationed in the space offering various services in the older generation of satellites which typically has a life of about 15 years. "Once the satellites are send to space the older generation of satellites had 15-year lifespan while the new generation satellites have a lifespan of 20 years," he said.
"As far as competition is concerned, we are the only company in the world which provides all types of communications solutions globally through satellites," he said. "There are no one-stop full-service operators globally like what we offer," he added.
By Vinod Kumar PK
© The Business Weekly 2008
