Inmarsat, a leading provider of mobile satellite communications, announced today (March 9) the completion of global coverage for its mobile broadband services.

Following the launch of the third I-4 satellite in August 2008, and a successful satellite repositioning programme that ended on February 24, Inmarsat is now the only satellite operator to offer mobile broadband services on a global basis, said a statement.

The repositioning programme – which involved three generations of Inmarsat satellites, five satellite movements, and the associated transitioning of voice and data traffic between the repositioned satellites – was completed as planned and on schedule, according to the report.

The relocations were carefully orchestrated such that there was either no impact on services – such as Inmarsat’s safety services, or a very limited period of interruption.

“This is an extraordinary achievement and a testament to the world-leading expertise of our satellite control and network operations teams,” said Perry Melton, chief operating officer of Inmarsat.

“We were established as a global operator, and the core of our service provision has always been seamless global coverage, so it is important for us to deliver our broadband services globally too. It reflects the requirements of our government, NGOs and commercial users around the world, and underpins our commitment to those users.”

Inmarsat’s award-winning mobile broadband services are BGAN, FleetBroadband and SwiftBroadband – for use on land, at sea and in the air, respectively.

“Our users want the assurance that the services they adopt will be around for the long term,” said Melton.

“We now have the world’s only fully-optimised, fully-funded, next-generation satellite network, delivering mobile broadband globally, with service into the 2020’s,” he added.

“This blanket coverage of the planet is extremely useful for our Middle Eastern customers, especially those enterprises that are now breaking the regional barrier and expanding worldwide”, said Samer Halawi, vice president of strategic corporate development.

“The global coverage also mirrors well the developments in the Middle Eastern airline industry along with their increasingly global routes, and fulfils well the requirements of those airlines adopting GSM in the air, which is of course facilitated through Inmarsat’s aero services”, added Halawi. – TradeArabia News Service