[SatNews] Inmarsat (LSE:ISAT) has activated the 1,000th channel of SwiftBroadband, the company's high-speed aeronautical service, making it the fastest growing aeronautical service introduced by Inmarsat.

A wide range of aircraft from government, business and air transport markets now use SwiftBroadband for such diverse applications as ISR (Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance), corporate communication to GSM solutions, and passenger Internet services. In the air transport industry, more than 20 airlines are already using or have committed to use SwiftBroadband. To further enhance SwiftBroadband, Inmarsat has announced it will enable up to four channels of SwiftBroadband for use on a single aircraft starting in October 2011. This increase in capacity from the current two channels would allow, for example, an airline to dedicate one SwiftBroadband channel for operational use in the cockpit, and use three channels for passenger connectivity in the cabin.