Inmarsat and Lufthansa Group sign ten year contract for the provision of inflight connectivity services
20 October 2015 – Inmarsat (LSE: ISAT.L), the leading provider of global mobile satellite communications services, has signed a contract to provide high-speed inflight connectivity services for passengers onboard Lufthansa’s European continental fleet.
The contract, which follows the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) announced between Inmarsat and Lufthansa last month, formalises not only a ten year strategic partnership between Lufthansa Group and Inmarsat, but also provides a contract framework to extend the service to the other airline brands in the Group.
Under the agreement, Inmarsat will equip more than 150 Lufthansa airlines aircraft with Global Xpress (GX), with additional Lufthansa Group aircraft being added in due course. The first of these aircraft will be equipped and tested in early summer 2016. Lufthansa will additionally be trialling the European Aviation Network in 2017.
Leo Mondale, President, Inmarsat Aviation, said: “We are very pleased to conclude this strategic agreement with Lufthansa Group, which ensures that Lufthansa will be offering their continental fleet passengers the best in-flight connectivity in the airline industry today. As part of this agreement we will be working with Lufthansa Technik and Lufthansa Systems for the integration of our services onboard the aircraft, making the most of their state-of-the-art products, technology and know-how.”
With Inmarsat’s next generation connectivity services Lufthansa Group – the largest airline in Europe – will offer in-flight broadband connectivity that allows its European passengers to browse the internet, watch videos, connect to their company’s Virtual Private Network (VPN) and download files all with a reliable connection that matches the quality and speed that they expect when they’re on the ground.
GX is the world’s first global commercial Ka-band satellite network which will offer seamless, reliable and high-speed coverage worldwide. The third satellite of the global constellation was successfully launched on 28 August 2015. Inmarsat is targeting GX global commercial service introduction by year-end.
The European Aviation Network combines an S-band satellite from Inmarsat with a complementary LTE-based ground network being provided by Deutsche Telekom. This promising and innovative technology offers potential cost efficiencies and can be flexibly adapted to suit the broadband transmission demands of the future.
About Inmarsat
Inmarsat plc is the leading provider of global mobile satellite communications services. Since 1979, Inmarsat has been providing reliable voice and high-speed data communications to governments, enterprises and other organizations, with a range of services that can be used on land, at sea or in the air. Inmarsat employs around 1,600 staff in more than 60 locations around the world, with a presence in the major ports and centres of commerce on every continent. Inmarsat is listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE: ISAT.L). For more information, please visit www.inmarsat.com
