Inmarsat

Inmarsat plc
Type Public company (LSEISAT)
Industry Satellite communication
Founded 1979
Headquarters London, UK
Key people Andrew Sukawaty (Chairman and CEO)
Revenue US$1,171.6 million (2010)[1]
Operating income US$460.6 million (2010)[1]
Net income US$261.1 million (2010)[1]
Website www.inmarsat.com

Inmarsat plc (LSEISAT) is a British satellite telecommunications company, offering global, mobile services. It provides telephony and data services to users worldwide, via portable or mobile terminals which communicate to ground stations through eleven geostationary telecommunications satellites. Inmarsat's network provides communications services to a range of governments, aid agencies, media outlets and businesses with a need to communicate in remote regions or where there is no reliable terrestrial network. The Company is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index as of December 2011.

Contents

History

The company was originally founded in 1979 as the International Maritime Satellite Organization (Inmarsat), a not-for-profit international organization, set up at the behest of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), a UN body, for the purpose of establishing a satellite communications network for the maritime community.[2] It began trading in 1982.[3] From the beginning, the acronym "Inmarsat" was used. The intent was to create a self-financing body which would improve safety of life at sea. The name was changed to "International Mobile Satellite Organization" when it began to provide services to aircraft and portable users, but the acronym "Inmarsat" was kept. When the organisation was converted into a private company in 1999, the business was split into two parts: The bulk of the organisation was converted into the commercial company, Inmarsat plc, and a small group became the regulatory body, IMSO.[4] In 2005 Apax Partners and Permira bought shares in the Company. The Company was also first listed on the London Stock Exchange in that year.[5] In March 2008 it was disclosed that U.S. hedge fund Harbinger Capital owned 28% of the company.[6] In July 2009, Inmarsat completed the acquisition of a 19-per-cent stake in SkyWave Mobile Communications Inc., a provider of Inmarsat D+/IsatM2M network services which in turn purchased the GlobalWave business from TransCore.[7] On 15 April 2009 Inmarsat completed the acquisition of satellite communications provider Stratos Global Corporation (Stratos)

Inmarsat won the 2010 MacRobert Award for its Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN) service,[8] overcoming the three other shortlisted companies[9] – Chas. A. Blatchford & Sons Ltd. for the Echelon hydraulic ankle-foot for amputees, Cobham Technical Services for the Minehound dual sensor land mine detector, and Lucite International UK Ltd for the Alpha process for methyl methacrylate.

Operations

Aside from its commercial services, Inmarsat provides global maritime distress and safety services (GMDSS) to ships and aircraft at no charge, as a public service.[10]

Services include traditional voice calls, low-level data tracking systems, and high-speed Internet and other data services as well as distress and safety services. The most recent of these provides GPRS-type services at up to 492 kbit/s via the Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN) IP satellite modem the size of a notebook computer.[11] Other services provide mobile Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) services used by the media for live reporting on world events via videophone.[12]

The price of a call via Inmarsat has now dropped to a level where they are comparable, and in many cases favorable, to international roaming costs, or hotel phone calls. Voice call charges are the same for any location in the world where the service is used. Tariffs for calls to Inmarsat country codes vary, depending on the country in which they are placed. Inmarsat primarily uses country code 870 (see below).[13]

Newer Inmarsat services use an IP technology that features an always-on capability where the users are only charged for the amount of data they send and receive, rather than the length of time they are connected.[14] This applies specifically to BGAN and MPDS.

The satellites are digital transponders that receive digital signals, reform the pulses, and then retransmit them to ground stations. Ground stations maintain usage and billing data and function as gateways to the public switched telephone network and the Internet.

The first (F1) and second (F2) of Inmarsat's most recent series of satellites, known as the "I4" satellites, were launched in June and November 2005. The third and final satellite (F3) was launched from the Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on the 18 August 2008.[15] These were the largest commercial telecommunications satellites ever launched. Each satellite is equipped with a global beam, 19 regional spot beams, and over 200 narrow spot beams.

In addition to its own satellites, Inmarsat has a collaboration agreement with ACeS regarding handheld voice services.[16]

Coverage

There are 3 types of coverage related to each Inmarsat satellite.[17]

Global beam coverage
Each satellite is equipped with a single global beam that covers up to one-third of the Earth's surface, apart from the poles. Overall, global beam coverage extends from latitudes of −82 to +82 degrees regardless of longitude.
Regional spot beam coverage
Each regional beam covers a fraction of the area covered by a global beam, but collectively all of the regional beams offer virtually the same coverage as the global beams. Use of regional beams allow user terminals (also called mobile earth stations) to operate with significantly smaller antennas. Regional beams were introduced with the I-3 satellites. Each I-3 satellite provides four to six spot beams; each I-4 satellite provides 19 regional beams.
Narrow spot beam coverage
Narrow beams are offered by the three Inmarsat-4 satellites. Narrow beams vary in size, tend to be several hundred kilometers across. The narrow beams, while much smaller than the global or regional beams, are far more numerous and hence offer the same global coverage. Narrow spot beams allow yet smaller antennas and much higher data rates. They form the backbone of Inmarsat's handheld (GSPS) and broadband services (BGAN). This coverage was introduced with the I-4 satellites. Each I-4 satellite provides around 200 narrow spot beams.

Satellites

Satellite Coverage Longitude Vehicles Launch Date (GMT) Services / Notes
Inmarsat-4 satellites
Inmarsat-4 F1[18] I-4 Asia-Pacific 143.5° east Atlas V (431) 11 Mar 2005 BGAN family, SPS, and lease services.
Inmarsat-4 F2[19] I-4 Europe, Middle-East, Africa 25° east Sea Launch Zenit-3SL 8 Nov 2005 BGAN family, SPS, and lease services
Inmarsat-4 F3[20] I-4 Americas 98° west Proton-M/Briz-M 18 Aug 2008 BGAN family and lease services
Inmarsat-3 satellites
Inmarsat-3 F1 IOR 64.5° east Atlas IIA 3 April 1996 Existing and evolved services only.
Inmarsat-3 F2 AOR-E 15.5° west Proton-K D-1-E 6 Sep 1996 Existing and evolved services only.
Inmarsat-3 F3 POR 178° east Atlas IIA 18 Dec 1996 Existing and evolved services only.
Inmarsat-3 F4 AOR-W 54° west Ariane 44L (V97) 3 Jun 1997 Existing and evolved services only.
Inmarsat-3 F5 I-3 Europe, Middle-East, Africa 25° east Ariane 44LP (V105) 4 Feb 1998 Various leases.
Inmarsat-2 satellites (These satellites are primarily used for leases.)
Inmarsat-2 F1 Delta II (6925) 30 Oct 1990 Decommissioned
Inmarsat-2 F2 POR 143° east Delta II (6925) 8 Mar 1991 Various leases.
Inmarsat-2 F3 Ariane 44L 16 Dec 1991 Decommissioned 2006
Inmarsat-2 F4 IND-E 109° east Proton-K 15 April 1992 Expected operational life 2012

Country codes

The permanent telephone country code for calling Inmarsat destinations is:[13]

The 870 number is an automatic locator; you don't have to know to which satellite the destination Inmarsat terminal is logged-in. SNAC is now usable by all Inmarsat services.

Country codes phased out on 31 December 2008 were

The other four country codes corresponded to the areas that Inmarsat satellites cover (normally one satellite per area). These areas were commonly called "Ocean Regions". With the advent of SNAC on 870, the older country codes were no longer needed. They were formally phased out on 31 December 2008 but may still be routed by some regional carriers.

Networks

Inmarsat has developed a series of networks providing certain sets of services (most networks support multiple services). They are grouped into two sets, 1) existing and evolved services, and 2) advanced services. Existing and evolved services are offered through Land Earth Stations which are not owned nor operated by Inmarsat, but through companies which have a commercial agreement with Inmarsat. Advanced services are provided via distribution partners but the satellite gateways are owned and operated by Inmarsat directly.

ADVANCED SERVICES

The "BGAN Family" is a set of IP-based shared-carrier services, as follows:[21]

M2M communications

Global Voice Services


Existing and Evolved
services, based on older technologies, as follows:
[22]

Withdrawn Services

New Projects Underway

Global Xpress. In August 2010 Inmarsat awarded Boeing a contract to build a constellation of three Inmarsat-5 satellites, as part of a US$1.2 billion worldwide wireless broadband network called Inmarsat Global Xpress. The three Inmarsat-5 (I-5) satellites will be based on Boeing's 702HP spacecraft platform. The first is scheduled for completion in 2013, with full global coverage expected by the end of 2014. The satellites will operate at Ka-band in the range of 20–30 GHz. Each Inmarsat-5 will carry a payload of 89 small Ka-band beams which combined will offer global Ka-band spot coverage. There are plans to offer high-speed inflight broadband on airliners.[24]

In February 2011 Inmarsat announced that iDirect had been awarded the contract to provide both the ground segment and the 'core module' that provides the key electronics in the new GX maritime (and later for other markets) terminals. [25] iDirect was already established as the leading player in the maritime VSAT field and the award of this contract confirmed their dominance of this market. The proposed GX system will deliver data at rates of up to 50 Mbit/s -an order of magnitude faster than existing VSAT systems using C-band or Ku-band satellite capacity and two orders faster than the existing L-band services.

Inmarsat's foray into S-band, mobile services. On 30 June 2008 the European Parliament and the Council adopted the European’s Decision to establish a single selection and authorisation process (ESAP – European S-band Application Process) to ensure a coordinated introduction of mobile satellite services (MSS) in Europe. The selection process was launched in August 2008 and attracted four applications by prospective operators (ICO, Inmarsat, Solaris Mobile, TerreStar).[26][27]

In May 2009, the European Commission selected two operators, Inmarsat Ventures and Solaris Mobile, giving these operators “the right to use the specific radio frequencies identified in the Commission's decision and the right to operate their respective mobile satellite systems". EU Member States now have to ensure that the two operators have the right to use the specific radio frequencies identified in the Commission's decision and the right to operate their respective mobile satellite systems for 18 years from the selection decision. The operators are compelled to start operations within 24 months (May 2011) from the selection decision.[28][29][30][31]

Inmarsat's S-band satellite programme, called EuropaSat, will deliver mobile multimedia broadcast, mobile two-way broadband telecommunications and next-generation MSS services across all 27 member states of the European Union and as far east as Moscow and Ankara by means of a hybrid satellite/terrestrial network. It will be built by Thales Alenia Space and launched in early 2011 launched by ILS.[32] The EuropaSat has been put on hold in late 2009. Inmarsat instead plans to seek external investors to fund the project, and ultimately to spin it off as a separate company.

Alphasat for extended L-band services. Planned for launch in 2012, Alphasat I-XL will be carried by an Ariane 5 ECA in from the Guiana Space Centre, Europe’s spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. The satellite will be built by Astrium using an Alphabus platform, and will weigh more than six tons at launch. The new-generation Alphasat I-XL will be positioned at 25 degrees East to offer advanced mobile voice and data communications services across Europe, Africa and the Middle East using L-Band. It will feature a new generation digital signal processor for the payload, a 12-meter aperture antenna reflector. Its design life is 15 years.[33]

In addition, Alphasat will embark three ESA-provided technology demonstration payloads: an advanced star tracker using active pixel technology, an optical laser terminal for geostationary to low-Earth orbit communication at high data rates and a dedicated payload for the characterization of transmission performance in the Q-V band in preparation for possible commercial exploitation of these frequencies.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Preliminary Results 2010". http://annualreport.inmarsat.com/download_centre/Inmarsat_Consolidated_Income_Statement.pdf. Retrieved 18 April 2011. 
  2. ^ Jonathan Higgins, "Satellite Newsgathering", Focal Press, 2007, page 204 ISBN 978-0240519739
  3. ^ Jonathan Higgins page 205
  4. ^ Jonathan Higgins page 207
  5. ^ "Dollars & Sense". Satellitetoday.com. 2 January 2006. http://www.satellitetoday.com/via/dollarsandsense/21.html. Retrieved 18 April 2011. 
  6. ^ "Private equity orbits Inmarsat". Investorschronicle.co.uk. 7 March 2008. http://www.investorschronicle.co.uk/Companies/ByEvent/MergersAndAcquisitions/Inbrief/article/20080307/3b65f516-ec3d-11dc-8f33-0015171400aa/Private-equity-orbits-Inmarsat.jsp. Retrieved 18 April 2011. 
  7. ^ SkyWave and partners wrap up three-part deal
  8. ^ "Inmarsat grabs the MacRobert engineering prize". 8 June 2010. http://www.raeng.org.uk/news/releases/shownews.htm?NewsID=565. Retrieved 8 June 2010. 
  9. ^ "Making things better – finalists announced for Britain's top engineering award". BBC News. 10 May 2010. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/10254883.stm. Retrieved 8 June 2010. 
  10. ^ "GMDSS weather". Weather.gmdss.org. http://weather.gmdss.org/. Retrieved 18 April 2011. 
  11. ^ "BGAN terminals". Inmarsat. http://www.inmarsat.com/Services/Land/BGAN/Terminals/default.aspx?language=EN&textonly=False. Retrieved 18 April 2011. 
  12. ^ "Transforming satellite newsgathering". http://www.inmarsat.com/Downloads/English/BGAN/Collateral/BGAN_media_solution_EN.pdf?language=EN&textonly=False. Retrieved 18 April 2011. 
  13. ^ a b "one world, one number". Inmarsat. http://www.inmarsat.com/Support/+870_deadline.aspx?language=EN&textonly=False. Retrieved 18 April 2011. 
  14. ^ "BGAN provides "eyes and ears" for oil rigs". http://www.inmarsat.com/Downloads/English/BGAN/Case_studies/RigStat_case_study_EN.pdf?language=EN&textonly=False. Retrieved 18 April 2011. 
  15. ^ "Successful launch for third Inmarsat-4 satellite". Space-travel.com. http://www.space-travel.com/reports/Successful_Launch_For_Third_Inmarsat_4_Satellite_999.html. Retrieved 18 April 2011. 
  16. ^ Inmarsat and ACeS announce low cost hand held and fixed voice services
  17. ^ "How the Inmarsat satellite system works". Wcclp.com. http://www.wcclp.com/index.asp?pgid=32. Retrieved 18 April 2011. 
  18. ^ "Inmarsat-4 f1". National Space Science Data Center. http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraftDisplay.do?id=2005-009A. 
  19. ^ "All go for giant comms satellite". BBC News. 8 November 2005. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4418484.stm. Retrieved 18 April 2011. 
  20. ^ "ILS Proton successfully launches Inmarsat-4 F3 satellite". ILS. 19 August 2008. http://www.ilslaunch.com/news-081908. 
  21. ^ "Inmarsat services". Inmarsat.com. http://www.inmarsat.com/Services/?language=EN&textonly=False. Retrieved 18 April 2011. 
  22. ^ "our services at a glance". Inmarsat. http://www.inmarsat.com/Services/A-Z_of_our_services.aspx?language=EN&textonly=False. Retrieved 18 April 2011. 
  23. ^ "Private Financing Gets Lift". Financialpost.com. http://www.financialpost.com/scripts/story.html?id=e2efbc8e-46a9-4ebb-a65d-913bc006752f&k=49645. Retrieved 18 April 2011. 
  24. ^ "Superfast in-flight connectivity on horizon as Inmarsat reveals $1.2b Ka plan". http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/08/06/345897/superfast-in-flight-connectivity-on-horizon-as-inmarsat-reveals-1.2b-ka.html. Retrieved 17 August 2010. 
  25. ^ "iDirect awarded new contract for Global Xpresss infrastructure.". http://www.inmarsat.com/About/Newsroom/00037147.aspx?language=EN&textonly=False. Retrieved 29 December 2011. 
  26. ^ "Commission boost for mobile satellite services paves the way for EU-wide high speed data communications". Europa.eu. 22 August 2007. http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/07/1243. Retrieved 18 April 2011. 
  27. ^ "New Satellites for Europe: Commission starts selection procedure for operators of pan-European mobile satellite services". Europa.eu. http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/08/1250. Retrieved 18 April 2011. 
  28. ^ "European Commission paves the way for European mobile satellite services" (Press release). European Commission. 14 May 2009. http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/09/770. 
  29. ^ "Mobile Satellite Services in Europe: Frequently Asked Questions". Europa.eu. http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/09/237. Retrieved 18 April 2011. 
  30. ^ Felix, Bate (14 May 2009). "Inmarsat and Solaris win EU spectrum rights". Reuters. http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssTechMediaTelecomNews/idUSBRQ00733920090514. Retrieved 18 April 2011. 
  31. ^ "Pan-European numbers and services". Ec.europa.eu. http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/policy/ecomm/current/pan_european/index_en.htm. Retrieved 18 April 2011. 
  32. ^ EU selects Inmarsat to build pan-European network
  33. ^ Contract signed with Astrium to build Alphasat payload

External links