Convergence India 2005

March 16, 2005
Inmarsat to seek ATC licence

UNITED KINGDOM -- Following the Federal Communications Commission's recent announcement, Inmarsat, the global mobile satellite operator, announced its intention to apply for authorisation to operate ancillary terrestrial component (ATC) facilities in the US to provide voice and data communications using L-band frequencies.

Inmarsat intends to launch two next-generation Inmarsat-4 satellites in Q1-05 and Q3-05, respectively. These will address the growing worldwide data market. The FCC decision allows mobile satellite services (MSS) operators, including Inmarsat, to offer terrestrially-based services as an additional, complementary service to those of its satellite fleet.

New services include the forthcoming BGAN (broadband global area network) 3G compatible, 432kbps service. Both these services are supportable from Inmarsat-4 satellites. Within its modern design, the Inmarsat-4 F-2 satellite will have 20 times more capacity than previous generation satellites over the US. It is due for launch in Q3-05.

Andrew Sukawaty, chairman and CEO, Inmarsat, said: "We are delighted that the FCC has re-stated the importance of protecting primary services, such as Inmarsat's core MSS activities, from harmful interference from potential secondary services including ATC. The FCC allowed MSS operators to provide enhanced services by adding a complementary ATC. This creates an opportunity to offer tie-ins with terrestrial operations that were not possible before. As a leading MSS operator, we intend to actively pursue this opportunity and evaluate a number of partnering opportunities."