System to Launch with SAUDIA Airlines

Inmarsat is a British satellite telecommunications company and the privatized vestige of the International Maritime Satellite Organization (INMARSAT), a non-profit intergovernmental organization established in 1979 at the behest of the United Nations for purpose of establishing and operating a satellite communications network for the maritime community.

Inmarsat owns and operates a constellation of 13 satellites in a geosynchronous (GEO) orbit approximately 22,000 miles above the earth. The satellites are positioned to transmit in two global configurations covering the Earth’s oceans and major land masses.

Inmarsat recently announced that a new terminal (read “aircraft mounted transmitter/receiver”) for its GX Aviation inflight broadband is now ready for deployment. Dubbed Falcon 300, the lightweight, low-drag terminal has received full type approval for use over Inmarsat’s Global Xpress (GX) satellite network, and will enter commercial service with Saudi Arabia’s national carrier SAUDIA in early 2023. The air-carrier will install the Falcon 300 terminal on 35 of its Airbus A321neo and A321XLR aircraft.

Inmarsat’s new terminal has been designed to meet the increasing connectivity needs of airline passengers, and allows them to stream high-definition videos, download documents, monitor Aero-News Network’s outstanding content, shop online, enjoy social media, and more—all from the comfort of their seats, and familiarity of their personal devices.

The Falcon 300 terminal is fully compatible with all extant and upcoming satellites from Inmarsat’s GX network. To boost efficiencies and reduce costs, Inmarsat’s Advanced Integrated Services Manager (AISM) will be natively hosted on Falcon 300’s modem manager, thereby enabling passenger sessions and traffic to be managed without the need for separate hardware. By combining high reliability and low drag design, the total cost of ownership borne by air-carriers and private aircraft operators is lowered, and the impact on fuel burn is minimalized.

Inmarsat Aviation senior vice president of inflight connectivity William Huot-Marchand states: “Inmarsat’s GX Aviation inflight broadband solution is firmly established as a global market-leader, and we have a number of exciting developments in the pipeline to build on this success for generations to come. A key aspect is this new, ultra-high-performance terminal … which will provide airlines with optimized connectivity from day one, plus additional performance enhancements in the future thanks to Inmarsat’s fully-funded technology roadmap. The results of our flight trials have demonstrated the terminal’s ability to consistently deliver the highest levels of connectivity, even over the world’s busiest airspaces. And with final type approval now in place, we are fast approaching commercial service at the beginning of next year.”

In November 2021, Inmarsat and satellite technology pioneer Viasat announced the planned combination of the two companies into what tech analysts predict will become a global communications powerhouse. The deal is scheduled to close in the second half of 2022.

FMI: www.inmarsat.com