Intellian, a prominent name in mobile satellite communication antenna systems, has secured product approval from Inmarsat for its advanced GX100NX antenna.
This development comes after successful evaluations at Inmarsat's state-of-the-art facility in Ålesund, Norway, followed by comprehensive sea trials.
Inmarsat Network Expansion
Inmarsat is actively advancing its Ka-band Global Xpress (GX) network, with plans to increase the GX satellite count from four to twelve over the next four years. This expansion is driven by the rising global demand for high-speed data services, especially in remote regions like the Arctic.
Next-Generation Technology
The newest satellite, GX5, launched in November 2019, is set to enhance coverage in the EMEA region
The newest satellite, GX5, launched in November 2019, is set to enhance coverage in the EMEA region. GX5 promises to deliver double the capacity of the existing GX satellite fleet.
Intellian’s GX100NX antenna, designed for efficiency, supports 2.5GHz Ka wideband networks and includes a standard 5W BUC, with an option to upgrade to a 10W unit, ensuring compatibility with Inmarsat's future enhancements.
Sea Trial Success
Extensive sea trials showcased significant improvements over the previous GX100 models, such as faster satellite acquisition and a substantial 1dB signal increase. These upgrades contribute to enhanced network efficiency and reliability, offering users superior bandwidth and performance.
Innovative Design
Eric Sung, CEO of Intellian, emphasised the cutting-edge nature of the NX series, stating, “We designed our NX series to bring cutting-edge performance to our customers, both now and into the future.” Ronald Spithout, President of Inmarsat Maritime, noted the synergy between Intellian's antenna design and Inmarsat's Fleet Xpress platform strategy, which supports over 8,000 vessels and offers various value-added services.
Streamlined Installation
The Intellian NX antennas, including the GX100NX, are designed with single-cable setup and new AptusNX software for efficient commissioning and maintenance. This approach reduces lifetime costs and simplifies ongoing support, further augmented by a modular design that can decrease spare part inventories by up to 40%. The GX100NX is now available from Intellian's global logistics centres.
Intellian, the global pioneer of mobile satellite communication antenna systems, has received product approval from Inmarsat for the new GX100NX antenna.
This announcement follows excellent results achieved during recent testing at Inmarsat’s innovative, hi-tech facility in Ålesund, Norway, followed by a wholly successful sea trial.
The Ka-band GX network from Inmarsat, the world pioneer in global, mobile satellite communications, is being enhanced and expanded at an extraordinary rate, with fully-funded plans to increase the number of GX satellites over the next four years from four to twelve. This is in response to rapidly increasing user demand for high-speed data services across the globe, including the typically hard-to-reach Arctic regions.
Next-generation GX100NX antenna
Intellian’s highly efficient next-generation GX100NX antenna supports 2.5GHz Ka wideband networks
The latest of the new satellites – GX5 – was successfully launched in November 2019 and is positioned to cover the EMEA region.
Once in service later this year, GX5 will deliver twice the capacity of the entire existing GX fleet of four spacecraft combined.
Intellian’s highly efficient next-generation GX100NX antenna supports 2.5GHz Ka wideband networks out of the box and is supplied with a 5W BUC as standard, with the option to upgrade to a high-power 10W unit.
This makes the GX100NX upgradable and future proof for Inmarsat’s next generation high-capacity, high-speed constellation and future network upgrades.
Extensive sea trials
Extensive sea trials demonstrated the significant advances over previous GX100 models
Extensive sea trials demonstrated the significant advances over previous GX100 models, with faster satellite acquisition and a staggering 1dB (25%) signal increase.
These advantages combine to deliver substantial improvements in network efficiency and availability which, when combined with superior bandwidth, will introduce Intellian and Inmarsat’s customers to a new era of reliability and value.
Terminal testing also proved the effectiveness of the GX100NX Below Deck Unit, which integrates the Antenna Control Unit, GX modem and mediator function for dual antenna configuration in a single unit.
Cutting-edge performance
Eric Sung, CEO of Intellian, commented: “We designed our NX series to bring cutting-edge performance to our customers, both now and into the future.”
“Inmarsat’s rapid network expansion, both in terms of coverage and bandwidth, gives us the opportunity to demonstrate that the GX100NX is ideally suited to do just that, and we confidently anticipate that it will rapidly become the preferred choice for Inmarsat Fleet Xpress customers.”
Innovative approach to antenna design
Ronald Spithout, President, Inmarsat Maritime, added: “Intellian’s innovative approach to antenna design mirrors our strategy for the Fleet Xpress platform, which has been installed on more than 8,000 vessels and is now much more than a VSAT connectivity pipe, due to fast-growing value-added services such as Fleet Data, Fleet Edge and Fleet Secure as well as the rapid development of our Application Provider ecosystem.”
“We are delighted to welcome the GX100NX to our network and, together with Intellian, we look forward to delivering and continuously improving our service to meet the growing connectivity demands of the global maritime economy.”
Intellian NX antennas
This focus on streamlining installation and support processes delivers lower lifetime costs
Intellian NX antennas – including the GX100NX – feature a single cable design, along with new AptusNX software to enable fast commissioning and maintenance.
This focus on streamlining installation and support processes delivers lower lifetime costs, without compromise on link performance. More savings come from the NX platform’s modular design, allowing spare part stocks to be reduced by up to 40%.
The GX100NX is now commercially available from all Intellian’s global logistics centres.
