Inmarsat boosts partnership with Government of Canada

Inmarsat, the global enabler in global, mobile satellite communications, has been awarded three contracts by the Government of Canada through Shared Services Canada (SSC) to provide connectivity services and equipment for both civilian and military use.

Each contract is for three years with the option for four extensions of one year each. This arrangement continues and deepens the relationship between Inmarsat and Canada, as the company currently delivers a variety of service options along with a whole suite of fixed and mobile terminals that can be deployed anywhere in the world at a moment’s notice.

Following intensive competitions during the tender process, SSC awarded contracts to Inmarsat to provide specialized multi-band mobile satellite equipment and accessories including high-speed Ka-band mobile satellite services covering North America and select international regions.

In addition Inmarsat will provide services for air, land and sea users, including bandwidth on demand high reliability L-band (ELERA) and high speed Ka-band (Global Xpress) services, dedicated capacity services, professional services such as training, installation and support services, as well as associated equipment. The Government of Canada will be able to acquire high-end, multiband terminals capable of wideband global satellite communications (WGS), military Ka-band (Mil-Ka) and other crucial connectivity for defence.

Inmarsat ORCHESTRA, a unique communications network combining geostationary and low Earth orbit satellites with terrestrial connectivity can offer further significant enhancements in the future as the company delivers for Canada and augments sovereign capability.

These services will support Government of Canada users across the breadth of society including the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Canadian Coast Guard (CCG), Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), Global Affairs Canada (GAC) and Environment Canada. The access to reliable and future-proof connectivity will also help the Department of National Defence (DND) meet the objectives of Canadian defence policy to ensure the support of serving personnel through effective, reliable, resilient communications for operational use and the welfare of troops.

Inmarsat’s Technology Roadmap includes the GX10 program, which will launch two Global Xpress payloads into highly elliptical orbit over the Arctic. This will support further the Canadian government with its missions to connect communities, support scientific missions examining the impact of climate change and assist the military in protecting sovereign Canadian territory through the availability of real time situational awareness and communications. All three of these contracts will facilitate Canada’s ability to access GX10A and 10B, providing services in the Arctic as these services will be integrated seamlessly into the global infrastructure available, thereby allowing existing terminals to function in the Arctic as well as around the rest of the world.

Todd McDonell, President of Inmarsat Global Government, said “Inmarsat has supported the Government of Canada for more than 25 years, working closely with Shared Services Canada to deliver capability to all the varied departments and requirements that it supports. These contract awards confirm that the Canadian Government will be well served by Inmarsat to meet all its communications requirements for the years ahead. Furthermore, Inmarsat’s technology roadmap ensures that the communications solutions for Canada are future -proofed well into the future.”

Inmarsat recently confirmed its commitment to Canada with the opening of a new, purpose-built, state-of-the-art million-dollar Canadian base in its new managed services facility in the heart of the capital, Ottawa. The site provides training, high-tech development and secure facilities as part of Inmarsat’s Managed Services approach.

The high-speed Global Xpress (Ka-band) services can be accessed by the customer through more than one of the newly-agreed contracts. This allows for maximum flexibility by the user and delivers to them a vital, future-proofed, backward compatible capability with the promise of future greatly enhanced services via Inmarsat’s GX10 satellites that will be available from their launch. This offers a long-term option for Canada as well as offering complementary services to initiatives currently underway for the Canadian government to own and operate its own satellite.