Global Xpress

Delivering seamless, resilient wideband connectivity worldwide

Operating worldwide today, Global Xpress complements government satellite communications (SATCOM) and provides optimal redundancy, diversity, security, scalability and global portability — the ultimate resilience approach.

U.S. government users operate on a worldwide basis and require flexible, secure connectivity that travels with them. This is why they continue to rely on Inmarsat and its global, trusted network. Global Xpress is the first and only commercial wideband network that delivers worldwide service, offered by a single operator. In government operation since 2014, Global Xpress brings the benefits of highly reliable, high-throughput satellite capability to respond to mobile, interoperable communication needs.

Inmarsat’s SATCOM as a Service business model allows for rapid delivery of proven technology that covers satellites, ground infrastructure, as well as terminals. This on-going innovation provides a fast, cost-effective solution to U.S. government’s critical need for resilience, speed and agility to ensure mission success today and in the future.

The next evolution of Global Xpress – the most resilient and flexible global mobile communications network

Inmarsat’s fifth Global Xpress satellite, GX5, started commercial service in December 2020. It represents a significant advance in the capabilities of Inmarsat’s global wideband service and heralds the start of an unprecedented enhancement in the overall capacity and capabilities of the network.

Following GX5, a further seven Global Xpress payloads and satellites are scheduled to launch over the next three years to meet burgeoning customer demand, including two dedicated to the Arctic region, which will deliver continuous broadband coverage above 65° North. Importantly, these payloads will also provide military Ka capacity through service beams and high-capacity steerable beams, complementing military satellite resources cost effectively for optimal redundancy, protection, scalability and global portability.

Global Xpress Arctic payloads, GX10A & 10B, are scheduled to launch in 2022 and will cover the entire Arctic Circle, providing continuous, assured communications to tactical and strategic government users operating in the Arctic region. Building on Inmarsat’s current capabilities up to and beyond 75º North, the new Global Xpress Arctic payloads will improve network performance in very high latitudes by flying directly overhead, providing Global Xpress antennas with much higher elevation angles to optimize throughput. The two payloads to be carried on the Space Norway satellites will be built to our unique requirements and will operate seamlessly as part of the Global Xpress network. They will be fully compatible with current and future Global Xpress terminals, ensuring that current Global Xpress customers can benefit from the further extension of the network.

The next evolution of Global Xpress, GX7, 8 & 9, with the first satellite scheduled to launch in 2023, once again provides ground-breaking innovation to anticipate and match accelerating worldwide demand for government mobile connectivity. It redefines Inmarsat’s renowned global mobile communications and seamlessly integrates increased diversity, redundancy, interoperability and resilience to a government architecture without additional infrastructure investment from end users. Backed by the most advanced cybersecurity features of any global network, the next evolution of Global Xpress will deliver dynamically-formed beams that enable agile and precise allocation of ultra, high-power capacity over high-demand areas and allow for superior interference resistance. This innovative software-defined global architecture with GEO satellites has flexible payloads that can be relocated when and where required across the geostationary arc and connect to any Inmarsat software-defined ground network node, enabling higher throughput speeds and flexible and dynamic capacity scaling based on user-specific resource demands.