Inmarsat expands Global Xpress relationship with Boeing

 

21 November 2013

 

Inmarsat and Boeing Commercial Satellite Services, a unit of Boeing Space & Intelligence Systems, announced the formalisation of their partnership on Global Xpress (GX), Inmarsat’s next generation connectivity service and the world’s first globally available high-speed broadband network.

 

Through a series of all-inclusive agreements, Boeing is extending its relationship with Inmarsat to become, officially, the first Value Added Reseller (VAR) for GX with a specific focus on military-Ka band services for customers within the United States Government. Boeing, which through its existing agreements with Inmarsat has already listed a number of GX services on the relevant US Government procurement schedules, will now significantly extend this process, offering GX-based services to the broadest range of government customers.

 

“Since the very start of the Global Xpress programme, Boeing has been a critical and committed partner in developing service offerings, technical interfaces and a host of GX applications to address unique government requirements,” said Peter Hadinger, President of Inmarsat’s US Government Business Unit. “With this VAR agreement in place, the Boeing team can move quickly to meet the communications needs of the US government, leveraging what will be the most advanced and reliable globally available commercial satellite service in the world.”

 

Since the Global Xpress programme was announced in 2010, Boeing and Inmarsat have worked in close partnership on the development of the original fleet of three GX satellites with an order for a fourth satellite made just last month (October 2013).  With today’s announcement, Boeing is committing to GX as a cornerstone of its satellite services business.

 

“Global Xpress will enable us to offer US Government users a range of powerful new applications and globally available, secure connectivity services backed by the renowned reliability and heritage of Inmarsat,” said Jim Mitchell, Vice President of Boeing Commercial Satellite Services, “We have already received strong support from our government clients for the mission-enabling features GX will offer.”  

 

Rupert Pearce, Chief Executive Officer of Inmarsat, said: “Global Xpress meets the strategic satellite communications needs of a key customer, the US Government, in a unique, powerful and highly efficient way and we are thrilled that, with the first Inmarsat-5 satellite in Baikonour awaiting launch in early December, the Global Xpress era is just ahead of us. We value highly our commercial partnership with Boeing and we are delighted to announce this significant development of their VAR status, positioning Boeing in the vanguard of our commercialisation of Global Xpress to the US Government.”  

 

Craig Cooning, Chief Executive Officer of Boeing Satellite Systems International, said: “As the US Government seeks improved resiliency, affordability, and availability of capacity to meet its growing wide-band communications requirements, partnerships between commercial satellite operators and service providers will emerge as a proven solution to ensuring that the needs of US Government and its allies continue to be met.   This VAR agreement underscores the commitments of Inmarsat and Boeing to continue efforts to help to meet this demand.”