[Satellite TODAY 11-30-11]  Inmarsat has signed two partnership deals for its Global Xpress services, the company announced Nov. 29. Gogo and OnAir are set to become key distribution partners for Inmarsat.

    Gogo will be a service provider, distributing Global Xpress service to the global commercial aviation market. Inmarsat has also selected Gogo’s business aviation subsidiary, Aircell, as a distribution partner for the business and government aviation markets. Working with Inmarsat, Gogo will begin in-flight testing of the Global Xpress aeronautical services after the launch of the first Inmarsat-5 satellite, which is scheduled for mid-2013. Gogo plans to offer regional service in 2013 with services for air transport, business aviation and government customers expected worldwide later in 2014.

    OnAir has also become a partner. OnAir currently uses Inmarsat SwiftBroadband (SBB) to provide the connectivity for Mobile OnAir and Internet OnAir, and has been working with Inmarsat for a period of time on a seamless upgrade path from SBB to Global Xpress. “OnAir has demonstrated its ability to integrate Inmarsat technology and services into attractive solutions for the aviation market, and we’re delighted to extend the relationship to include Global Xpress’s broadband services. The partnership with OnAir represents another major step toward realizing the next-generation in aviation connectivity, which we’ll begin offering commercially in 2013,” Leo Mondale, Managing Director, Inmarsat Global Xpress said in statement.