The next evolution of Global Xpress – the most resilient and flexible global mobile communications network
Global Xpress, operating in the Ka-band, is the first and only high-speed mobile broadband network to seamlessly span the world. Our market-leading service delivers the high bandwidth and reliability our customers demand.
Global Xpress brings the following benefits to mobile government users:
The GX1-GX4 satellites were built by US manufacturer Boeing, based on its powerful 702HP platform. The first three Global Xpress satellites were launched between 2013-2015, with global commercial service starting in December 2015. GX4 was launched in May 2017 to provide additional capacity.
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.
The advanced Ka-band payloads on our sixth generation satellites, Inmarsat-6 will add further depth to Global Xpress coverage, with targeted spotbeams delivering greater capacity when and where there is increased demand. GX6A went into commercial service in 2023 over the Indian Ocean.
The future of Global Xpress
Global Xpress Arctic payloads, GX10A & 10B, are scheduled to launch in 2024 will operate in Highly Elliptical Orbits (HEO)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. 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. The two payloads to be carried on the Space Norway satellites. They will integrate seamlessly into the existing and planned Global Xpress network and will be fully compatible with current and future Global Xpress terminals.
The next generation of Global Xpress satellites
GX7, 8 & 9, due to be launched by 2025, 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.