Inmarsat has been working with ESA since 2003 through the ESA co-funded project known as the BGAN Extension programme. This project aims to bring the benefits of BGAN to the maritime, land-vehicular and aeronautical environments. This includes the development of aeronautical terminals to offer the portfolio of BGAN services on airplanes. These terminals, comprised of a high or medium gain directional antenna and electronics for inside the plane (avionics), are currently undergoing testing to ensure continuous connectivity.
Recently, Inmarsat announced the commercial availability of its new high-speed aeronautical service, SwiftBroadband, which has been developed in collaboration with ESA.
SwiftBroadband is the first fully IP-based service, capable of supporting broadband IP data at up to 432kbps. SwiftBroadband is suitable for a range of applications from aircraft operation and management to cabin applications such as email, Internet access, SMS text messaging and integration into In Flight Entertainment (IFE) systems. The majority of new long-haul aircraft currently being built by Boeing and Airbus - such as the Boeing 777 and Airbus A380 - are fitted with antennas capable of accessing SwiftBroadband.
Inmarsat's BGAN is the world's first mobile communications system to provide both voice and broadband data simultaneously through a single, portable device on a global basis. Users of BGAN terminal devices can get on the network, whether on top of a mountain or in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
The BGAN Extension project also aims to diversify the service portfolio through the development of multi-cast service capabilities such as point-to-multipoint or multipoint-to multipoint communication services, thereby exploiting the natural strength of satellites for delivering multicast services at the global level.
BGAN is currently accessible throughout Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and North and South America. A third satellite launch planned for this year will provide coverage to the Pacific area giving the network global coverage except at the poles. BGAN is being used in the world today for disaster response, telemedicine, business continuity, military use and recreational use.
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