Insight | Broadening our horizons

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Broadening our horizons

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We have been using the term ‘Internet of Everywhere’ for several months now to describe the way in which people and things are connected; not just to each other but to anywhere on the planet. This is a reality that is prevalent across multiple disciplines and industries. It is a reality which is driving innovation and efficiency in aviation safety, in world trade, in oil and gas exploration and in logistics management.  It is also a reality which is heavily reliant upon satellite communications. But the role of satellite communications and the space industry in general (as discussed by Rupert Pearce in his last blog) isn’t widely understood.

Space is a growth industry in the UK, growing at over 7% per year. Conversely it remains a niche industry, employing just over 34,000 people. So how can we start talking to other people about why it’s so important and what it is that we actually do?

From Wednesday to Friday this week, a new course developed by specialists from the European Space Agency (ESA) is taking place at Oxford University designed to broaden the knowledge and understanding of Space-based organisations amongst a new audience. Targeted at graduates and professionals of all ages, the course will give an overview of satellite communications. Arguably three days is not enough to brief both space and non-space professionals and students on the complexities of our industry, but it’s certainly a good place to start a conversation with new people.

The course will cover the technical, financial and business aspects of satellite communications. I will be providing a lecture on ‘Mobile Satcom Systems and Services’; covering how satellite is best-placed to support the explosion in the use of mobile devices and the sending and receiving of data.

As the Chief Operations Officer at Inmarsat I was delighted to help and be involved in the course.  I am passionate about opening the doors of our industry to more individuals with different backgrounds and ideas. Not only for the benefit of developing the next generation of engineers, but because how we interact with space has evolved and the prevalence in all of our lives is far greater than is currently understood.

It’s very rewarding to see how popular the course has been. Hopefully it will inspire some individuals or help spark some new ideas amongst the attendees. Given its popularity I hope to see it become a permanent fixture.

About the author


Ruy Pinto joined Inmarsat in 1990, as a senior software engineer supporting the Inmarsat satellites, and is currently the Chief Operations Officer for Inmarsat, responsible for operations engineering, customer services, IT infrastructure plus all satellite and network operational functions across the business. Ruy is a Non-Executive Director of the Catapult Space Applications Centre and immediate past Chairman of the UK Space Industry Trade Association.

Previously, Ruy worked with VSAT data communication networks and data communications software as a project manager for the deployment of large scale VSAT networks. He has a background in electronics and satellite data communications having graduated in Electronics Engineering in 1981, followed by a post-graduate degree in Digital Telecommunications Systems.