Indian government-owned telecommunications service provider Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has received Inflight and Maritime Connectivity (IFMC) license from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to offer Inmarsat’s Global Xpress (GX) mobile broadband services in the country.
The IFMC license will allow BSNL to offer Inmarsat’s Xpress satellite communication (Satcom) services to the British company’s government, aviation, and maritime customers in India said a press release from the British satellite operator Inmarsat Holdings.
The announcement means that India’s airlines will be able to deploy GX for in-flight connectivity within India and throughout the world, while India’s commercial maritime companies will be able to enhance significantly the digitalisation of their vessels for more effective ship operations and crew welfare services.
BSNL’s license will also see the award-winning GX service offered to the government and other users. There will be a phased introduction of services for customers and partners, said the release.
Rajeev Suri, Inmarsat CEO, said: “Inmarsat is delighted to make the world’s only global high-speed mobile broadband Ka-band network available to the Government and businesses in India through our partner BSNL. We are committed to India and the company has been a trusted partner for the Indian government for four decades. Today’s announcement, which we share proudly with our friends at BSNL, will help to underpin the further economic growth that we all wish to see in India.”
GX, operating in the Ka-band, is the first and only high-speed broadband network designed for mobility and government customers to seamlessly span the world. This market-leading service delivers the high bandwidth, reliability, and security that commercial and government-grade mobility customers demand.
Chairman and Managing Director of BSNL, P.K. Purwar said: “BSNL and Inmarsat are delighted to share this key milestone with our partners and customers in India. Global Xpress is recognised as the world’s best high-speed satellite communications service for government and mobility business customers and we are very pleased to make these capabilities available to users in India. All of us at BSNL appreciate the commitment to excellence shown by the Indian Government as we have worked on approvals to deliver this service to the country. Equally, we thank our partner Inmarsat for their spirit of collaboration in reaching today’s milestone to help power forward economic development in India through higher-quality connectivity for our customers.”
Gautam Sharma, Inmarsat India Managing Director, said: “Inmarsat is well-positioned to partner with the Indian government to address the ever-growing demand for reliable, mobile satellite communication services across a broad range of commercial and public sectors. Following the successful introduction of Inmarsat’s voice and broadband data communication services across India in the past, today we are announcing that Inmarsat’s award-winning Global Xpress services have now secured the necessary licenses through our valued partner BSNL.”
