Inmarsat made inroads in India after strategic partner BSNL secured the necessary regulatory clearance to deliver the satellite provider’s mobile broadband services to customers across government, aviation and maritime sectors.

In a statement, Inmarsat explained its long-term strategic partner BSNL received an Inflight and Maritime Connectivity licence from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), meaning its Global Xpress (GX) mobile broadband services could be rolled out across the country.

Through the licence, Indian airlines will now be able to deploy GX for in-flight connectivity within the country and worldwide, while commercial maritime companies will be able to significantly enhance digitalisation in vessels “for more effective ship operations and crew welfare services”.

Inmarsat’s services will also be available to the Indian government, as part of a phased introduction for customers and partners.

GX employs the Ka-band, and is described by Inmarsat as the first and only broadband network designed for mobility and government, delivering high speeds, reliability and security features.

Inmarsat CEO Rajeev Suri (pictured), said the expansion into India was significant and would help “underpin the further economic growth that we all wish to see”.

The GX service will be evolved and expanded, with the launch of a further seven satellites including next-generation offerings over the coming three years. Each of these will “add more capacity into a single region than the first four satellites combined”.

Inmarsat’s push in India follows a recent announcement to combine its existing system with a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) constellation and 5G assets to create a single network targeting corporate customers, as the connectivity space race continues to hot up.