Can you tell us how your partnership with Space Norway and its subsidiary Space Norway HEOSAT came about?
We have a strong relationship with Space Norway – and the country of Norway – that has spanned many years. A prime example of this is the location of one of our most advanced research and development centers – Ålesund, Norway, located at the Norwegian Maritime Competence Center (NMCC).
This strong history of partnership between Inmarsat and Norway is one of the many reasons that we decided to work with Space Norway on this new venture. Interestingly, the other payloads on the Space Norway satellites will be from Governments.  Inmarsat was the only commercial operator invited to join the project.
It is important to stress that while the Space Norway satellites will operate as HEO constellation – as opposed to the GEO orbit used by all our other satellites – they will fully and seamlessly integrate into the full GX network.  Customers will therefore be able to travel to and from the Arctic region unaware that they are passing from one constellation to another.
This is all part of Inmarsat’s strategic approach of seeking to always remain ahead of where our customers are going and what they demand from us. And, we plan to continue this pace of innovation and to remain an industry-leading pioneer.