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Inmarsat and KDDI sign landmark Fleet Xpress agreement

Inmarsat and Japanese telecommunications giant KDDI have signed a partner agreement to distribute Fleet Xpress to the Japanese maritime market – including deep sea vessels, commercial fishing, oil and gas, and cruise lines.

From 1 July, KDDI will offer a complete, end-to-end Fleet Xpress package, including the full range of airtime service options and choice of approved antennas.

The landmark agreement comes after our Global Xpress Ka-band satellite service was granted a blanket licence in Japan by the Japanese Ministry of Information and Communications earlier this year.

Greater autonomy

“Inmarsat’s Fleet Xpress service delivers seamless and reliable global connectivity at high-speeds, with automatic and unlimited fail-over to FleetBroadband when needed,” said Akihiko Yamaguchi, General Manager of Visual Communication Service & MSAT Business Solution Sales Department at KDDI.

“With our Japanese customers looking to digitalise and use greater autonomy, this is what our customers need to operate their business efficiently, while also contributing to the health and welfare of their crews,”

The partnership will enable KDDI to offer customers a future-proof communications package, unique in the maritime industry for a terminal of this size. This will provide global high-speed coverage, dual Ka-band and L-band antennas for continuous connectivity, together with speeds and service guarantees previously only available with much larger, high-power antennas.

Talented team

“KDDI has been a long-standing Inmarsat partner in Japan with a relationship stretching back some 30 years. During this time, KDDI has invested in and developed a strong and talented team to support the evolving needs of the maritime market,” said Gert Jan-Panken, Vice-President, Merchant Marine for Inmarsat Maritime.

“Fleet Xpress is more than just a satellite communications service. The multi award-winning service is now in use on over 3,500 vessels and is powering a data revolution, bringing unrivalled vessel efficiency and communication benefits to ship owners, operators and their crews.

“We are setting a new standard in maritime communications and we’re excited KDDI is joining our Fleet Xpress partner network.”