Inmarsat signs SingTel as first VAR for Global Xpress in Asia

The following has just been released by Inmarsat – analysis follows but news waits for no man…

SINGTEL SIGNS INMARSAT GLOBAL XPRESS® VALUE ADDED RESELLER AGREEMENT

  • Singapore Telecommunications  signs with Inmarsat for  Global Xpress®
    • First Telco in Asia to be appointed a Global Xpress Value Added Reseller
    • Latest endorsement from the market for Inmarsat’s service innovation and roadmap toward GlobalXpress®

06 November 2012 – London: Inmarsat (LSE:ISAT.L), the leading provider of global mobile satellite communications services announced today that it has signed Singapore Telecommunications Limited (SingTel) as a Value Added Reseller  (VAR)  of Global Xpress ® for the maritime market.

Scheduled for service introduction in 2014, Global Xpress will offer the shipping industry the first global superfast broadband. Based on Ka-band technology, it will consistently deliver the fastest speeds through more compact terminals at a lower cost than existing VSAT services, making it accessible to many more vessels. It will offer the global coverage and reliability that Inmarsat is renowned for, with back-up from FleetBroadband for extra resilience in the most challenging environments.

Mr Andrew Lim, Managing Director of Business Group, SingTel Group Enterprise said: “We are delighted to be the first Telco in Asia to be appointed a GlobalXpress VAR. By harnessing our Telco and ICT capabilities in combination with GlobalXpress, we are now able to offer our maritime customers a fully integrated end-to-end solution. The maritime industry is facing unprecedented challenges and opportunities created by rapidly changing technologies.  Together, GlobalXpress and SingTel will be able to lead the change and revolutionise the future of maritime communication, which is an exciting prospect for our customers.”

“This agreement is the natural result of decades of successful cooperation between SingTel and Inmarsat,” said Frank Coles, President, Inmarsat Maritime.  “SingTel has an extensive knowledge of the Asian and Australian markets with a wide distribution network through which to deliver Global Xpress.  SingTel is the preeminent communication solution provider in Asia and the ideal partner to introduce Asia’s growing maritime market to the potential of Global Xpress’s superior high bandwidth value. “

About SingTel

SingTel is Asia’s leading communications group with operations and investments around the world. Serving both the corporate and consumer markets, it is committed to bringing the best global communications solutions to customers in the Asia Pacific and beyond.

With significant operations in Singapore and Australia (through wholly-owned subsidiary SingTel Optus), the Group provides a comprehensive portfolio of services that includes voice and data solutions over fixed, wireless and Internet platforms, as well as infocomm technology and pay TV.

The Group has presence in Asia and Africa with 462 million mobile customers in 26 countries, including Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, the Philippines and Thailand.

To serve the needs of multi-national corporations, SingTel also has a vast network of offices throughout Asia Pacific, Europe and the United States. These offices enable SingTel to deliver reliable and quality network solutions to its customers, either on its own or jointly with local partners.

SingTel employs more than 23,000 people worldwide and had a turnover of S$18.83 billion (US$14.97 billion) and net profit after tax of S$3.99 billion (US$3.17 billion) for the year ended 31 March 2012.  More information can be found at www.singtel.com and www.optus.com.au.