Inmarsat comments on an outage on its I-4 F1 satellite
The temporary loss of services from the satellite was registered in East Asia and the Pacific region
Inmarsat says it experienced an outage on its I-4 F1 satellite, which provides L-band services for East Asia and the Pacific region, at 21.14 UTC on Sunday 16 April. This resulted in the temporary loss of services from the satellite and the company immediately instigated its recovery procedures.
“Safety services are being prioritised and Inmarsat can confirm that immediately following the incident, it instigated the process to transfer maritime safety services, in line with the IMSO approved operational process to a contingency satellite. That process was completed successfully. Inmarsat Classic Aero recovery has now started and is expected to be operational in a matter of hours. This will be followed by the transfer of Inmarsat-C services from the contingency satellite back to I-4 F1 and then a focus on the restoration of other services,” reads the statement of Inmarsat.
According to the statement, all other satellites in the L-band fleet are unaffected by the incident. This includes Inmarsat’s two new L-band satellites – I-6 F1 and F2 – which will be joined in 2027 by a further three new micro L-band satellites, the Inmarsat-8s, specifically designed to enhance safety service back-up for L-band customers.
As IAA PortNews reported earlier, the Fishing and Communications Monitoring System Center informed about the complete loss of Inmarsat services in the Pacific region on April 17.
Inmarsat is a British satellite telecommunications company established in 1979. Inmarsat is the leading satellite service provider, offering mobile satellite communication services and delivering reliable, seamless global connectivity. It the first satellite operator to meet the stringent requirements of the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS).