LONDON: Inmarsat is going to launch its second Global Xpress satellite, Inmarsat-5 F2 on Sunday. Inmarsat-5 F1 went into commercial use in July of last year, bringing the Global Xpress service to Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia, with F2 delivering the same service across the Americas and Atlantic Ocean.
Global Xpress promises satellite broadband with speeds over 100 times faster than the previous generation (I-4) of the company’s satellites, offering speedy net access to even the most remote locations across the globe. Inmarsat notes that it is investing $1.6 billion (£1.07 billion) in the delivery of Global Xpress.
The I-5 satellites have been built by Boeing, and the I-5 F2 will be launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, at 12:30 our time this Sunday.
Rupert Pearce, CEO of Inmarsat, said: “Through Global Xpress, the world can move forward from the ‘Internet of Everything’ to the ‘Internet of Everywhere’, in which high-speed, reliable and secure connectivity is available anywhere and at any time even in the most inaccessible regions for customers on the move or to fixed locations.”
“We believe that our new global network will power innovation, support economic development and help transform social services, from education to healthcare, in regions not adequately served or not served at all by terrestrial networks.”
