The services are slated for availability at the beginning of 2022 through Intelsat's many solutions partners.
Intelsat has expanded its global FlexMaritime service to connect vessels travelling in Indian territorial waters and immediately enhancing the service coverage for all of Intelsats 8,000 existing FlexMaritime vessels.
The development also provides access for Indian-registered vessels to Intelsats global high-throughput maritime network. Intelsat’s expansion is made possible by a new in-country gateway that is operationally ready to provide service via Intelsats HTS satellites under India-based partner Cloudcast’s In-Flight and Maritime Connectivity (IFMC) license.
The expansion of FlexMaritime into India will open new business opportunities and accelerate digital transformation for thousands of Indian-flagged vessels and ships trading in Indian territorial waters. According to the Ministry of Shipping, around 95% of India’s trading by volume and 70% by value is done through maritime transport.
Intelsat Senior Vice President of Mobility, Mark Rasmussen, said: “The completion of this regulatory milestone means customers of our FlexMaritime solutions partners will immediately benefit from the well-known power, performance and resilience of the FlexMaritime service in Indian waters. The network expansion also demonstrates Intelsat’s commitment to mobility services providing yet another new dimension of global trade with access for Indian companies.”
The gateway will be located in Noida, India, serving as a critical link between Intelsat’s terrestrial ground network and space assets and extending Intelsat’s existing global network to a vital trading port.