Beijing Marine Communication Navigation Company (MCN), a company owned by China Transport Telecommunication & Information Center (CTTIC), has signed four new value added reseller (VAR) agreements with Inmarsat to bring the Global Xpress (GX) mobile broadband service to commercial and public sector organizations across China.
Through the agreements, MCN becomes a GX VAR in China, covering maritime, aviation, enterprise and Chinese government markets. The two companies will work closely together to launch commercial services for Global Xpress in China at the earliest opportunity.
“GX will bring the benefits of seamless, superfast connectivity to every region in China, while ensuring that Chinese companies – from airlines to shipping fleets – can enjoy the same high-capacity service wherever they are in the world,” said Rupert Pearce, CEO, Inmarsat.
“MCN has been a partner for Inmarsat in China for many decades and we are delighted that this relationship is extending to our latest and most powerful satellite communication service – GX. China is one of the biggest markets for Inmarsat’s mobile satellite-based voice and broadband services, delivering double-digit growth in the last five years, and we are confident that there will be significant demand for GX.”
The relationship between Inmarsat and MCN dates back to 1979. Inmarsat works exclusively through retail partners in China, including MCN, to provide communications services to Chinese enterprises including Air China, China COSCO, China Shipping Container Lines, China National Petroleum Corporation, China Central Television and Xinhua News Agency.
Inmarsat is investing US$1.6bn to build the GX network, which will initially comprise of three Inmarsat-5 satellites in geostationary orbit above the equator. The globally available satellite communications network will operate in the Ka band spectrum. GX services are designed to integrate seamlessly with Inmarsat’s L band network. The company says global commercial services are on course to be introduced in the second half of 2015.
April 1, 2015
