Defence Space

US Navy awards Inmarsat NGW contract

Posted 19 August 2022

Inmarsat Government has announced that the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) has awarded it the US Navy Military Sealift Command (MSC) Next Generation Wideband (NGW) Follow-On (FO) Contract for worldwide end-to-end commercial satellite communications services.

Above: US Naval Ship Benavidez docked at Lamberts Point in Norfolk Virginia, USA, 19th June 2022.
Image By Kyle J Little / Copyright Shutterstock

An Indefinite-Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract, the ceiling value of the award is $578 million over a 10-year period. Under the contract, Inmarsat Government will maintain and operate commercial communications infrastructure, which includes satellite systems, teleport services and terrestrial services.

For the past decade, Inmarsat Government, the leading provider of secure, global, mission-critical telecommunications to the US Government, has demonstrated its ability to deliver highly robust, exceptionally reliable, global satellite communications (SATCOM) solutions to MSC. Under this newly awarded FO contract, the company will also upgrade the primary afloat network from Ku to the Global Xpress (GX) Ka-band system, paired with Inmarsat ELERA’s enhanced L-band Airborne Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (LAISR) service to provide a uniquely reliable, global back-up network. This combination of networks ensures that MSC has secure global communications, delivering a high-throughput, low size and weight solution.

Inmarsat Government has proven success and capability in providing highly reliable managed maritime services by combining the high data rates of Inmarsat’s GX Ka-band network with the reliability of the company’s ELERA L-band network. The seamless combination of networks offer unrivalled speed, continuous connectivity and guaranteed performance for true global mobility.

Susan Miller, CEO and President, Inmarsat Government, said: “Inmarsat Government is very proud to have delivered robust, highly available, global satellite communications solutions to MSC over the last decade. We look forward to providing that same excellent service and a seamless transition as we deliver highly reliable commercial satellite communications solutions worldwide. Our team is committed to providing MSC with significant enhancements in SATCOM managed services including the coverage, reliability, resiliency and throughput, all managed end-to-end.”