Inmarsat signs Tampa Microwave as partner for Global
Xpress terminals
13 November 2013
Inmarsat has signed Tampa Microwave as a terminal
partner for land satellite terminals for its forthcoming
Global Xpress high-speed broadband service.
Tampa Microwave is a leading supplier of tactical
satellite communications (SATCOM) terminals and related
products for defense, government, and commercial
customers. Already in use and highly regarded by US
Special Forces, the Tampa Microwave family of manpack
terminals has been specifically designed for mobile
operations that call for a rugged and lightweight
terminal that can fit into a backpack.
Following type-approval by Inmarsat, the 65cm
aperture COTS manpack terminal will offer government
customers access to the global, secure coverage provided
by Inmarsat’s next-generation Global Xpress (GX)
satellite network.
Global Xpress will offer an unprecedented combination of
bandwidth and global coverage, with Inmarsat’s new
Ka-band I-5 satellites providing high-speed uplink and
downlink data rates, backed by Inmarsat quality
standards, reliability and performance. Global Xpress
will support government customers requiring highly
transportable, secure and reliable terminals for
missions of any kind.
Peter Hadinger, President of Inmarsat’s U.S. Government
Business, said: “Inmarsat is pleased to include Tampa
Microwave as a supplier of land terminals for our Global
Xpress network. We intend to qualify the lightweight,
portable terminal for Global Xpress operation over a
tuning range of up to 1GHz, and to deliver a
market-leading end-to-end, man-packable, military-grade
satellite communications solution. While Tampa’s
government customers have long relied on their terminals
for military use, they will soon benefit from global
high-rate secure operations that will be introduced
across the GX network.”
Tampa Microwave’s Vice President of Advanced
Development, Obie Johnson, said: “This collaboration
with Inmarsat will give our terminal customers
additional options in the performance of quick-reaction
expeditionary missions during worldwide operations,
accessing Inmarsat’s I-5 constellation bandwidth. We are
looking forward to working with Inmarsat to make their
service launch a success, and to growing our product and
service relationships in ways that are beneficial to
both companies and, most importantly, to our customers.”