Inmarsat has announced the successful completion of its Global Xpress GX “Around the World” test flight.
The exercise, conducted on a Gulfstream IV aircraft between June 5 and June 11, 2017, covered more than 25,000 miles and demonstrated Global Xpress’ ability to deliver seamless, worldwide coverage across multiple spot beams and satellites.
The flight route spanned the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, beginning in the United States with stops in the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, Thailand, Australia and Fiji.
A Global Xpress subscription-based data plan was configured for the Honeywell aero Tail Mount Antenna (TMA), with a committed information rate of 4Mbps forward and 1Mbps return but capable of 15Mbps or more.
Uniform coverage and service was delivered to the aircraft as it moved across 28 beams with handovers that went unnoticed by users; and three satellite-to-satellite handovers that were accomplished seamlessly.
The terminal’s global plan enabled access to the Global Xpress network worldwide without the need to pre-coordinate and receive satellite-specific option files.
During the flight, Global Xpress supported mission-critical voice, data and streaming applications including video teleconferencing, high-speed Internet access and file transfer, VPN as well as phone calls, that were fully delivered or exceeded the committed information rate.
Global Xpress
Inmarsat says Global Xpress is the first and only end-to-end commercial Ka-band solution that delivers worldwide service.
With four Inmarsat-5 geostationary high-capacity satellites linked as one network, Global Xpress provides seamless, high-throughput coverage.
Its says the Global Xpress spot beam architecture ensures uniform distribution of capacity, allowing for consistent, uninterrupted connectivity no matter where the user is operating.
Steerable antennas on each Global Xpress satellite enable flexible augmentation of network capacity, as driven by user demand.
Inmarsat offers Global Xpress as an end-to-end managed subscription service – SATCOM as a Service – that enables access to an always-on, worldwide network with 24/7 management, monitoring and support.
Customers travel from one location to another, and simply ‘plug in’ to Global Xpress to get what they need, where they need it, and when they need it.
Steve Gizinski, Vice President of Special Programs, Inmarsat U.S. Government Business Unit, said: “This Gulfstream IV ‘Around the World’ test flight demonstrates Inmarsat’s ability to deliver reliable, seamless next-generation wideband connectivity for aeronautical users.
“Highly–mobile, bandwidth-hungry government and commercial users can now travel the world and enjoy connectivity that allows them to conduct business as if they were in the office … even while 40,000 feet in the air.”
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