Inmarsat has signed Tampa Microwave as a terminal partner for land satellite terminals for its forthcoming Global Xpress high-speed broadband service. Tampa Microwave is a leading supplier of tactical satellite communications (SATCOM) terminals and related products for defense, government, and commercial customers.

Already in use and highly regarded by US Special Forces, the Tampa Microwave family of manpack terminals has been specifically designed for mobile operations that call for a rugged and lightweight terminal that can fit into a backpack.

Following type-approval by Inmarsat, the 65cm aperture COTS manpack terminal will offer government customers access to the global, secure coverage provided by Inmarsat's next-generation Global Xpress (GX) satellite network.

Global Xpress will offer an unprecedented combination of bandwidth and global coverage, with Inmarsat's new Ka-band I-5 satellites providing high-speed uplink and downlink data rates, backed by Inmarsat quality standards, reliability and performance. Global Xpress will support government customers requiring highly transportable, secure and reliable terminals for missions of any kind.

Peter Hadinger, President of Inmarsat's U.S. Government Business, said: "Inmarsat is pleased to include Tampa Microwave as a supplier of land terminals for our Global Xpress network. We intend to qualify the lightweight, portable terminal for Global Xpress operation over a tuning range of up to 1GHz, and to deliver a market-leading end-to-end, man-packable, military-grade satellite communications solution.

"While Tampa's government customers have long relied on their terminals for military use, they will soon benefit from global high-rate secure operations that will be introduced across the GX network."

Tampa Microwave's Vice President of Advanced Development, Obie Johnson, said: "This collaboration with Inmarsat will give our terminal customers additional options in the performance of quick-reaction expeditionary missions during worldwide operations, accessing Inmarsat's I-5 constellation bandwidth. We are looking forward to working with Inmarsat to make their service launch a success, and to growing our product and service relationships in ways that are beneficial to both companies and, most importantly, to our customers."

Inmarsat's Global Xpress terminals are specifically designed for high-performance operation in the Ka-band. Scheduled to achieve full global coverage by the end of 2014, Inmarsat Global Xpress will be the world's first global Ka-band network, delivering unmatched broadband access to mobile users.