Following the Federal Communications Commission's 10th February 2005 announcement, Inmarsat has announced its intention to apply for authorisation to operate Ancillary Terrestrial Component (ATC) facilities in the USA to provide voice and data communications using L-band frequencies.
Inmarsat intends to launch two next-generation Inmarsat-4 satellites in the first and third quarters of 2005 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, 432kbit/s service. Both ATC and BGAN services are supportable from Inmarsat-4 satellites – the first due for launch from Cape Canaveral on 10th March 2005.
Within its modern design, the new Inmarsat-4 F-2 satellite will have 20 times more capacity than previous generation satellites over the USA. It is due for launch in the third quarter of 2005.
"The ruling presents Inmarsat with a new opportunity. 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", commented Andrew Sukawaty, Chairman and CEO of Inmarsat.
"The FCC has allowed MSS operators to provide enhanced services by adding a complementary Ancillary Terrestrial Component. 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 to evaluate a number of partnering opportunities."
