Under terms of the agreement in principle, effective Aug. 25, Rockwell Collins will be the sole lead for the development, production and distribution of user terminals and provide service for future Inmarsat’s Global Xpress™ (GX) aeronautical services to the aviation industry. Inmarsat and Rockwell Collins have entered into negotiations that are expected to lead to definitive agreements by late 2011.
The GX offering, the only global Ka broadband connectivity with transmission speeds at least double that of Ku offerings, will begin after the launch of the first Inmarsat-5 satellite scheduled for mid-2013 with global services for commercial air transport, business aviation and government customers worldwide in 2014.
“This world-class partnership is a game-changer for airborne connectivity,” said Steve Timm, vice president and general manager, Flight Information Solutions for Rockwell Collins. “Our long and proven track record in providing industry-leading connectivity solutions for business, commercial and government aviation, combined with the differentiated services of Inmarsat GX will result in a compelling global broadband solution that will give passengers and operators the same level of connectivity in the air, as they do on the ground.”
“We welcome Rockwell Collins to the expanding GX family of key partners,” said Leo Mondale, managing director of Inmarsat GX. ”Their focus and success in channels to US and international government aero segment, commercial air transport and business aviation is well-known and they will bring a world-class team together to exploit the unique performance and bandwidth capabilities of Inmarsat’s Global Xpress satellite services. Working together, Rockwell Collins and Inmarsat will set a new standard for airborne connectivity.”
Inmarsat currently has over 12,000 aircraft relying on global in-flight connectivity, and is the most widely used satellite operator in the industry. Inmarsat was the first to provide global safety services that comply with the requirements of the International Civil Aviation Organization.
