Mobile satellite service operator Inmarsat will retire its Inmarsat A service at the end of 2007 to more efficiently create satellite capacity for its latest digital services, the company said.

The last type approval for a new maritime Inmarsat A terminal was issued in 1991; spares and servicing capabilities are becoming more scarce, the company said. Existing Inmarsat A users will have the opportunity to make the transition to Inmarsat Fleet F77. In addition to Global Maritime Distress and Safety System facilities, Fleet F77 provides near global high-speed communications from a compact digital terminal.