Insight | Counting down to a more connected world
Corporate
In 1962 the way we communicate dramatically evolved with the launch of the world’s first commercial telecommunications satellite. That year the world’s boundaries blurred as the satellite successfully relayed through space the first television pictures, telephone calls and fax images, as well as the first transatlantic television feed. The first broadcasts, by today’s standards, were rather basic, but heralded many of the services that today we take for granted and the first step towards our modern globally connected world.
Next week, on Friday 28 August 2015, and 53 years on from those first space enabled transmissions, we will see another first in modern global communications with the launch of the Inmarsat-5 F3 satellite, which together with Inmarsat-5 F1 and F2 will provide global coverage. This will be the first time a global Ka-band commercial satellite service will be delivered by a single operator. No-one has ever done something of this scale before and for the first time, people across the globe will benefit from seamless broadband connectivity powered by Inmarsat’s state-of-the-art I-5 satellites.
This is a momentous occasion, not just for us working at Inmarsat, but a real turning point in how people around the world will be able to access and benefit from high speed, mobile communications in the remotest of areas. For Inmarsat it is a culmination of a five-year journey that has seen $1.6bn invested in enabling a true Internet of Everywhere and will bring the power and potential of space into our everyday lives.
We are now a digitally connected global society, hungry for ever increasing amounts of broadband and the benefits that come from the internet. Data consumption and demand for access will only grow exponentially across the planet. Businesses and individuals are changing the way they work, operate and exist as a consequence.
The Global Xpress network will provide a seamless, reliable connectivity that will mean remote societies will develop more smartly thanks to long-term development plans in health and education for example. Elsewhere, business and enterprise will benefit significantly not least by taking advantage of innovation via machine-to-machine technology and the Internet of Things. The aviation industry is just one sector whereby high-speed broadband available through a service such as Global Xpress could dramatically change the passenger experience.
It is with pride that we’ll be watching the rocket launch from Kazakhstan next Friday with our I-5 F3 payload on board. The countdown to the launch will be shown live on our website and on YouTube, and we’ll be posting daily updates on our social media channels through Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. I hope you can join us.
Michele Franci, CTO, Development and Engineering<, is responsible for the Inmarsat space and ground infrastructure (network and access technology), and product and service development. He is also in charge of the delivery of the Global Xpress programme, bringing it to its commercial launch, including regulatory and market access programs.
Michele has also been tasked to frame and develop a yield analysis and management capability, and is responsible for the infrastructure competition intelligence and analysis.
Prior to joining Inmarsat, Michele worked at SES from 2006 to 2012, as SVP for Planning and Procurement, he was part of the Engineering management committee, responsible for the SES fleet management, mission design and development, satellite and launcher procurement and risk management. Before that, he worked at Arianespace. From having responsibility for initial mission management (including twelve launch campaigns) he rose to VP Business Development, leading the marketing group, including commercial strategy and proposals, long-term strategic development and sales oversight. Between 2000 and 2005 he was a member of Arianespace’s Board of Directors. Before that, Michele spent five years with Fokker Space, as Program Manager of a European multinational robotic arm development for use on the ISS. He also spent one year at ESTEC’s advanced studies and simulation department.
