Inmarsat to Implement Product Quality Assurance Programme in
Co-ordination With Global VSAT Forum Framework
LONDON, November 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --
Global Xpress® 2013
Service Launch Will Include Earth Station Testing Requirements
Aligned with GVF 'Quality Products' Industry Initiative
Quality assurance is at the heart of Inmarsat's US$1.2 billion Global Xpress system. The launch
of this new satellite service will be enhanced through the
implementation of mandatory earth station testing requirements.
This will be done in co-ordination with the Global VSAT Forum
(GVF), the international association of the satellite
communications industry.
Through Inmarsat's testing programme, earth station products to
be used with the 2013 launch of Global Xpress broadband services
will be required to demonstrate high levels of performance to
ensure customer satisfaction. Inmarsat's programme will be aligned
with the GVF Product Quality Assurance Framework, and meet the GVF
Quality Products Industry Initiative.
"Inmarsat is committed to ensuring that our customers receive
high-performance broadband satellite products," said Leo Mondale, MD of Global Xpress. "Our decision
to require product testing in alignment with the GVF Product
Quality Assurance Framework is a clear demonstration of that
commitment."
"The global satellite industry is taking next-generation
broadband solutions to a higher level of performance," said
David Hartshorn, Secretary General,
GVF. "Inmarsat's requirement for type-approved earth station
products -- and Global Xpress' co-ordination with the GVF Quality
Products Initiative -- will give customers the standard of quality
that is essential in today's demanding marketplace."
GVF provides earth station testing through a mutually-recognized
type approvals framework and an industry-authorised network of
testing entities. Major satellite operators rely upon or conduct
their own testing in co-ordination with the service, which is
provided by GVF through its Mutual Recognition Arrangement Working
Group (MRA-WG).
"Global type-approvals, which have a major bearing on industry
profitability and competitiveness, have gained in importance as
demand for satellite-based systems and services have increased and
volumes have risen," said Colin
Robinson, Chairman of the MRA-WG. "Inmarsat's support for
the industry's quality-assurance initiative is well timed to
address that trend."
The MRA-WG maintains procedure GVF-101, which defines a set of
standard tests that an antenna or earth station manufacturer must
perform in order to apply for type approval from any satellite
operator who is a member of GVF. Use of this procedure assures the
quality of the ground communication equipment and provides the
earth station operator with a complete set of measured and verified
test data. This helps reduce the time and cost required to bring
new ground-segment technology to the market, provides credible
measured performance data for use in developing link budgets,
thereby advancing the competitiveness of satellite communications
services.
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 1,500 staff in more than 40 locations
around the world, with a presence in the major ports and centres of
commerce on every continent. For more information, please visit
http://www.inmarsat.com
About GVF (http://www.gvf.org)
GVF is the international association of the satellite
communications industry. Supported by 200 companies based in every
major region of the world, GVF promotes higher standards of
service, greater levels of market access, improved regulatory
conditions, and heightened awareness by the private and public
sectors of the advantages afforded by state-of-the-art
satellite-based fixed and mobile solutions.