Inmarsat to develop
innovative satellite communications service
platform for global government customers via new
ESA contract
02 November 2020
Inmarsat has been awarded a
three year contract with the European Space
Agency (ESA), which will co-fund the development
of a new capability for governments to plan,
procure, manage and monitor their satellite
communications (satcoms) services from Inmarsat
and other operators and service providers.
The new Inmarsat
capability, called the International Virtual
Satellite Operators Network (INVISON), is a
secure, user centric platform. It is being
supported by ESA as part of its Space Systems
for Safety and Security (4S) Strategic Line,
which is a new component of ESA’s programme of
Advanced Research in Telecommunication Systems
(ARTES), aimed at transforming R&D investment
into successful commercial products and
services.
The INVISON programme will
also see the development of new and innovative
government services and applications that will
be accessible in a uniform and user-friendly way
over the INVISON platform. Examples include a
ground breaking new security hardened Internet
of Things (IoT) solution that will be deployed
with government users to monitor critical
infrastructure and geohazard events in Norway
and the UK.
Software applications will
be developed to enable highly effective
bandwidth optimisation for mission critical
imagery and video delivery over satellite and
the integration of new government services from
Inmarsat’s future Highly Elliptical Orbit
satellites over the Arctic region (GX10A and
10B) – a world’s first.
Nick Shave, Inmarsat’s Vice
President of Strategic Programmes, Global
Government said: “In the face of ongoing
challenges, governments around the world require
more control, flexibility, immediacy and
transparency over the satellite services they
procure. The Inmarsat INVISON platform puts the
government user in control of the services they
rely on by enabling a wide range of satcoms
services, brokered from multiple operators and
providers, to be more accessible and secure.
“This advanced new system
and service will drive innovation and efficiency
throughout the entire satcoms value chain,
delivering flexibility and value for money for
our government customers. Inmarsat is proud to
lead a consortium of Norwegian and UK based
companies such as AnsuR, Avanti Communications,
Geonor, Global RadioData Communications,
MConnected, the Satellite Applications Catapult
and SINTEF. We anticipate a number of other
industrial partners will join the consortium in
due course.”
Elodie Viau, ESA Director
of Telecommunications and Integrated
Applications, said “ESA is extremely pleased to
enable continuous investment in the development
of highly innovative solutions and services by
European and Canadian manufacturers and
operators. ESA is committed to develop
initiatives in support of the European
commercial satellite telecommunications industry
and triggers new innovations in this domain for
the benefit of Europe’s worldwide
competitiveness. This INVISON contract with
Inmarsat represents the next step of a long
standing effort in that endeavour.”
The contract is valued at
€22.4m over three years.