Inmarsat-4 to Enter Commercial Service on May 28

LONDON, May 18, 2005/Satnews Daily/ ― Inmarsat has announced that users of maritime spot-beam services are set to experience extended coverage in Indian Ocean Region when the new Inmarsat-4 (I-4) satellite goes live on May 28.

Inmarsat said the time for the historic hand-over from I-3 to the new generation I-4 satellite has been set for 20:00 hours UTC on May 28, subject to confirmation nearer the day.

Existing users of maritime spot-beam services will benefit immediately from enhanced coverage right across the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) once transition is complete, Inmarsat said. The switch-on and handover of traffic to the I-4 is expected to be seamless.

For the first time, subscribers to services such as Fleet F77 128kbit/s, Fleet F55 and F33, and maritime mini-M, will be able to use their equipment to the full in areas where previously Inmarsat-3 spot-beam coverage was incomplete.

Inmarsad advised users to select the IOR in the usual way when they log on with their terminals. When the I-4 goes live, these and other existing services will migrate to the 19 wide spot beams on the new spacecraft - providing unbroken coverage right across the ocean region, Inmarsat said.

The following services will benefit from the coverage enhancement:

Fleet F77 - 128kbit/s Mobile ISDN data

Fleet F55 - 64kbit/s Mobile ISDN, MPDS and fax

Fleet F33 - 9.6 kbit/s data, MPDS and fax

mini-M - voice, fax and data

However, Inmarsat said, services supporting the Global Maritime Distress and Safety Services (GMDSS) - Inmarsat B, C, E and Fleet F77 - are already global and will remain unaffected.

Piers Cunningham, Inmarsat's head of maritime market management, said the improved network infrastructure we have put in place for the I-4s, and the powerful new satellites themselves, will ensure the long-term availability and continued evolution of our maritime services.

“The unrivalled power and flexibility of the I-4s will allow us to make service enhancements that will be of immediate benefit to the global maritime community,” he added.

Recent Stories:

First BGAN Voice Call on Inmarsat 4 Satellite

In Orbit Tests of Inmarsat I-4 Completed; Satellite Being Moved to Operational Position

Telenor Selected as Provider for Inmarsat’s New Global Satellite Service

Northrop Grumman's AstroMesh Reflector Successfully Deploys on Inmarsat 4 Satellite