Advanced Television

Inmarsat

Viasat CEO: “Inmarsat acquisition a big step”

Viasat’s CEO Mark Dankberg, in a letter to shareholders following the acquisition of Inmarsat, has said that the purchase represented a “big step” for the business and that the next move was to thoughtfully integrate two companies into a single cohesive team with common purpose, shared insights, targeted innovation, and trusted service delivery. “We have […]

June 20, 2023By Chris Forrester

Ethiopian Airlines selects GX Aviation inflight broadband

Pan-African carrier Ethiopian Airlines, will offer advanced, high-speed inflight broadband to passengers onboard its upcoming Airbus A350-1000 aircraft, with GX Aviation provided by Inmarsat, recently acquired by Viasat, and selected through the Airbus Airspace Link HBCplus programme. As one of the launch airlines for inflight connectivity (IFC) through Airbus’s HBCplus programme, Ethiopian Airlines will benefit […]

June 9, 2023

Viasat, Inmarsat wrap merger

After a long-drawn out series of competition investigations over the past 18 months, Viasat has finally wrapped its planned merger with Inmarsat. The deal represents the biggest satellite industry consolidation since SES acquired GE Americom back in November 2001 (which cost SES $5 billion at the time). This Viasat deal is more complex given that […]

June 1, 2023By Chris Forrester

Viasat/Inmarsat merger approved

Viasat of California and London-based Inmarsat can now wrap up their much-awaited merger plan. The final regulatory approval, from the European Commission, was granted on May 25th. The two companies expect their merger to conclude “in days” and by the end of May. The European Commission (EC) was concerned that the merger scheme would limit […]

May 26, 2023By Chris Forrester

Inmarsat chiefs standing down post-merger

Inmarsat has announced that Rajeev Suri will stand down as chief executive on completion of the company’s sale to Viasat. Suri has been nominated by the shareholder consortium that acquired Inmarsat in 2019 to serve as a Board Director of Viasat upon completion of the sale. He will also be involved with ensuring a smooth […]

May 26, 2023By Colin Mann

Inmarsat unveils ‘fastest ever’ IFC plans

Communications provider Inmarsat has announced the next chapter of its Jet ConneX (JX) inflight broadband solution, introducing a new range of service plans which it says will redefine gold standard connectivity in the business aviation market and satisfy even the most data-hungry users for many years to come. Launched as part of Inmarsat’s JX Evolution […]

May 23, 2023

Viasat, Inmarsat targeting growth in IFC, D2C cellular

Mark Dankberg, chairman of Viasat, said that his company’s airline clients were buying into the concept of geostationary satellites and that the recently launched ViaSat-3 satellite would make a major difference to its airline broadband services. Viasat serves 15 airlines including Delta Air Lines which represents major – and growing – demand on Viasat’s satellite […]

May 22, 2023

Inmarsat orders 3 new satellites

Despite being just days away from receiving the final approval for its planned merger with Viasat, London-based Inmarsat has ordered up three new satellites. The new craft measure just 1.5 cubic metres (plus the solar arrays) and are about one-fifth of the size and weight of conventional geostationary satellites. They will form Inmarsat’s I-8 fleet. […]

May 22, 2023By Chris Forrester

Inmarsat signs off on a high

London-based Inmarsat will be absorbed by Viasat of California in the near future. Meanwhile, the satellite telco has delivered its strongest revenue numbers in 44 years with improved results cross all its key divisions. Its Aviation segment jumping by more than one-third in Q1 and its Maritime division saw its ninth consecutive quarter-year of growth. […]

May 19, 2023By Chris Forrester

Inmarsat’s SwiftJet for Raytheon

Inmarsat has appointed Raytheon Technologies’ Collins Aerospace business as the latest global distribution partner for its new SwiftJet inflight connectivity service. SwiftJet, which enters commercial service this year, will offer the fastest-ever speeds over L-band for the global business aviation market. The agreement marks an expansion of the companies’ long-standing partnership. Customers can now talk […]

May 17, 2023