Inmarsat to begin serving Saudi maritime customers

Khaled al Saleh (CITC), Abdullah Sulaiman (Sada), Ronald Spithout (Inmarsat) and Zeina Mokaddem (Inmarsat)

Inmarsat has announced a range of new partner agreements under which the company will begin offering its connectivity services to maritime and other customers in Saudi Arabia, having secured new spectrum licences to deliver both its L-band and Ka-band services to Saudi-based businesses for the first time.

Fixed and mobile satellite telecommunications distributor Sada Al Ammah and Global Beam Telecom have been appointed as Inmarsat’s first distribution partners in the region, while a separate installation agreement has also been agreed with service company Master Systems.

Inmarsat’s maritime business will partner with Sada Al Ammah to distribute connectivity services for merchant and offshore vessels operating in Saudi waters, providing access to Inmarsat’s Fleet Xpress services.

“Saudi Arabian shipping and offshore companies have shown an increasing appetite for the latest digital services to improve operating efficiencies and Inmarsat is delighted to offer our Fleet Xpress service in Saudi and the region in conjunction with our partners, Global Beam Telecom, Sada Al Ammah and Master Systems,” said Ronald Spithout, President, Inmarsat Maritime.

“Owners now see the need for an ecosystem of value-added services to enable digitalisation, rather than just buying a Ku-band VSAT connectivity pipe. That’s why we are seeing demand for Inmarsat’s Fleet Data IoT platform, our Fleet Secure suite of cyber security services and our crew welfare and retention solution, Fleet Hotspot.”

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Rob O'Dwyer
Rob O'Dwyer

Rob is Chief Network Officer and one of the founders of Smart Maritime Network. He also serves as Chairman of the Smart Maritime Council. Rob has worked in the maritime technology sector since 2005, managing editorial for a range of leading publications in the transport and logistics sector. Get in touch by email by clicking here, or on LinkedIn by clicking here.

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