Cobham has been selected by Inmarsat as a "Launch Partner" to provide land-based satellite communication terminal antennas specifically designed to support the global service introduction of Inmarsat's Global Xpress® (GX) network.

Cobham will ensure availability of its GX land terminals at service introduction of the new Ka-band satellite network, which will be the first to provide global superfast broadband. It will consistently deliver the highest speeds through more compact terminals than existing very small aperture terminals (VSAT) services, backed by the reliability for which Inmarsat is renowned.

The land-based terminals include vehicle-transportable, fly-away and man-pack configurations. Working together with iDirect's GX Core Module, the products will offer computer-assisted manual point and fully automatic auto-acquire configurations. These products serve the military, public safety and law enforcement, energy and media markets.

The newly established Cobham SATCOM strategic business unit (SBU) is a market leading provider of mobile satellite communications that combines Cobham’s existing satellite communications businesses and the recently acquired Danish company Thrane & Thrane.

Walther Thygesen, Cobham SATCOM vice president, said: "We are pleased that Cobham’s industry leading antenna technology has been chosen as a critical launch partner for the next generation of satellite communications technology. Cobham SATCOM is fully committed to Inmarsat’s success on the exciting new GX program. Cobham will leverage years of field proven experience in the supply of products that are rugged, portable, lightweight and easy to use. In addition several of the models are available in configurations that operate on today’s FSS satellites while offering a clear upgrade path to GX. Our plan is to leverage our existing global sales/distribution channels and world class customer service network to ensure a fast and early adoption of Inmarsat GX services in the markets."

Leo Mondale, Managing Director of Global Xpress, said: "Cobham SATCOM [has] demonstrated leadership in the land mobile VSAT terminal marketplace, and we are delighted that they are now formally part of our programme to deliver on the Global Xpress promise. Their experience and expertise in product delivery to key market segments will ensure that customers will quickly benefit from the introduction of new generation, high data rate services."