Inmarsat has announced it will use its new Global Xpress (GX) satellite fleet to provide in-flight connectivity services for the airline industry.
The company will launch its Global Xpress Aviation offering this year, and has already arranged to serve initial customers including Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines and Jazeera Airways.
Inmarsat's GX network entered commercial service in December. It currently includes three Ka-band satellites with sufficient capacity to meet existing and near-term demand for Airlines.
A fourth GX satellite has already been commissioned, and is completing construction and testing by Boeing. Inmarsat said it will build on this capacity to meet more long-term demand.
Inmarsat has also contracted Airbus Defence and Space to build the first two satellites for its sixth-generation fleet, the first of which is due for delivery by 2020.
The new sixth-generation satellites will support both the Ka-band and L-band. Inmarsat expects to use the Ka-band payload to augment the capacity of the GX network in busy regions, and use the L-band capacity for a new generation of aviation safety services.
Inmarsat is also building the European Aviation Network, which will integrate a satellite network with an LTE-based ground network provided by Deutsche Telekom. Aircraft will automatically switch between satellite and terrestrial connectivity.