❝ The use of satellite broadband is a key trend in the industry and it is definitely growing . Before I left the BBC in 2012 , we were already pushing the use of this technology because of its flexibility and value for money .❞
SPECIAL
SATELLITE 2015
Inmarsat heralds new era in satel
February 2015 saw the successful launch of the Inmarsat-5 F2 satellite , which when once operational , will deliver Global Xpress ( GX ) services to the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean region , and will complement Inmarsat-5 F1 coverage in the Indian Ocean region .
The Inmarsat-5 F1 satellite was launched in December 2013 and entered into commercial service in July 2014 , powering regional GX services for Europe , the Middle East , Africa and Asia . Together with Inmarsat-5 F2 and a third satellite scheduled for launch later this year , Inmarsat-5 F1 forms the Inmarsat GX constellation , which is designed to deliver seamless , globally available , high-speed broadband connectivity on land , at sea and in the air .
The Satellite Special sits down with Martin Turner , director of media at Inmarsat , to understand why the GX constellation will help to herald a new era in satellite broadband communications .
The Inmarsat-5 F2 was launched in February this year , and is the latest satellite in Inmarsat ’ s Global Xpress ( GX ) constellation . With more satellites expected to be added in the near future , how will the GX constellation serve the needs of Inmarsat ’ s customers when completed ? Martin Turner : GX is fundamental to Inmarsat ’ s strategy because it meets
The Inmarsat-5 F2 satellite was successfully launched in February this year and forms part of the Inmarsat Global Xpress ( GX ) constellation , which is designed to help herald a new era in satellite broadband communications , according to Inmarsat .
the needs of customers for more bandwidth but with the same ease-of-use and reliability they are accustomed to enjoying with other Inmarsat services . US government customers have been using the first satellite since the middle of last year and we have already seen Sky News ( UK ) broadcast the first TV live , on-air transmission over GX from Athens , Greece , in January .
The seamless nature of GX , along with its unparalleled level of portability when compared to equivalent bandwidth solutions , makes it a unique proposition in satellite broadcasting and so it is no surprise that there is so much interest in it .
Inmarsat has also hailed the GX constellation as heralding a new era in satellite broadband communications . Do you see a growing trend in broadcasters and operators deploying satellite broadband services , particularly in Asia-Pacific ? Turner : The use of satellite broadband is a key trend in the industry and it is definitely growing . Before I left the BBC in 2012 , we were already pushing the use of this technology because of its flexibility and value for money .
At its simplest , it allows customers to do more for less money , more simply , and it is ideally suited to markets in which companies are innovating and creating new ways of interacting with their audiences . The Asia-Pacific media sector is not only fast growing but it is extraordinarily innovative , and we are really excited by the potential of GX to support this trend .
Earlier this year , Inmarsat also
❝ The use of satellite broadband is a key trend in the industry and it is definitely growing . Before I left the BBC in 2012 , we were already pushing the use of this technology because of its flexibility and value for money .❞
— Martin Turner , Director of Media , Inmarsat
announced its new open technology strategy . Can you provide an update on the development of this strategy , and how it relates in particular to Inmarsat ’ s customers in the broadcast and media industries ? Turner : The idea of opening up Inmarsat ’ s network to developers is to drive innovation and change the way satellite communications are used on land , at sea and in the air . This will sound familiar to Inmarsat customers in the broadcast and media industries because we already have excellent relationships with providers of cuttingedge solutions for transmitting live video over our networks .
The open technology strategy takes this idea further and envisages a network in which Inmarsat enables many different types of devices to be connected wherever and whenever required . For media users , we have already seen some fascinating examples of the sort of solution that this partnership can deliver ; for example , a drone developed by Parrot which is opti mised to send live video over a BGAN terminal . Seeing the connections being made between developers
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