Inmarsat, the world leader in global, mobile satellite communications, has Wednesday announced that it will bring its world-leading maritime, aviation and enterprise connectivity solutions to customers based in Saudi Arabia through new partner agreements. The company additionally announced that it has secured new spectrum licences to deliver both its narrow-band (L-band) and high-capacity broadband (Ka-band), Global Xpress (GX), services in Saudi Arabia, enabling Saudi-based businesses to deploy these services for the first time. Fixed and mobile satellite telecommunications distributor Sada Al Ammah and Global Beam Telecom have been appointed as Inmarsat's first distribution partners in Saudi Arabia and the region and they will work closely with Inmarsat's Maritime, Aviation and Enterprise businesses to roll-out services in the region. Global Beam Telecom & Sada Al Ammah will work with Inmarsat's Enterprise business to bring the benefits of its award-winning connectivity services to land-based users in the Middle East. Inmarsat's Maritime business will partner with Sada Al Ammah to distribute connectivity services for merchant and offshore vessels operating in Saudi waters, providing full access to Inmarsat's industry-leading Fleet Xpress services. It has also signed a separate installation agreement with service company Master Systems. Combining the high data speeds of Inmarsat's GX Ka-band technology with the proven reliability of Inmarsat's flagship FleetBroadband L-band service for unlimited backup, Fleet Xpress services will enable the digital transformation of Saudi and foreign-flagged vessels operating in the region. Inmarsat's Aviation business will work with Sada Al Ammah to deliver cockpit safety services and passenger cabin broadband Wi-Fi connectivity (GX Aviation for commercial airlines and Jet ConneX for business jets) to companies based in Saudi-Arabia, enabling airline and business aviation passengers to browse the internet, stream video and music, check and update social media and more during their flights. Inmarsat's L-band network provides best-in-class connectivity services for users on land, at sea and in the air. The network enables a wide range of use cases such as fleet management, remote analytics, data transfer and other IoT/M2M applications in areas with non-existent or unreliable connectivity. Focus areas for these use cases will include oil and gas, transport and aid and non-governmental organisations (NGO). "We are delighted to be working closely with Sada Al Ammah and Global Beam Telecom to offer our world-leading services in Saudi Arabia and the region for the first time," said Mike Carter, president of Inmarsat Enterprise. "Our partners have a wealth of experience and understanding of the local markets, which coupled with the strength and reliability of Inmarsat's services, make a powerful combination that we feel will provide a foundation for connectivity excellence and growth in the region." "Saudi Arabian shipping and offshore companies have shown an increasing appetite for the latest digital services to improve operating efficiencies and Inmarsat is delighted to offer our Fleet Xpress service in Saudi and the region in conjunction with our partners, Global Beam Telecom, Sada Al Ammah and Master Systems," said Ronald Spithout, president, Inmarsat Maritime. "Owners now see the need for an ecosystem of value-added services to enable digitalization, rather than just buying a Ku-band VSAT connectivity pipe. That's why we are seeing demand for Inmarsat's Fleet Data IoT platform, our Fleet Secure suite of cyber security services and our crew welfare and retention solution, Fleet Hotspot." "Saudi Arabia is a fast-growing and important market for aviation connectivity solutions," said Philip Balaam, president of Inmarsat Aviation. "Inmarsat looks forward to working with commercial airlines in Saudi Arabia to enable them to upgrade to the world's leading aviation connectivity solutions, covering high-speed inflight passenger broadband in the aircraft cabin and gold standard operations and safety in the cockpit." Further capacity is set to benefit customers in Saudi Arabia and beyond soon, as the recently-launched GX-5 satellite comes into commercial service in 2020, to meet the surging demand for high-capacity broadband across the skies and seas of Europe and the Middle East. — SG
