WiFi Provider # Inmarsat (now part of Viasat) WiFi — Flights + Cruises Maritime-roots satellite operator: L-band safety + Ka-band broadband across ships and aircraft — merged with Viasat in 2023. [Check Your Flight](/) [Compare: Starlink](/starlink) [All Airlines](/airlines) ## Provider Snapshot Tech L-band + Ka-band (Global Xpress) Coverage Global Typical Speed 12–50 Mbps (GX Aviation) Operators in DB 4 ## Where you'll find it Aviation (GX Aviation) Lufthansa Group, Singapore Airlines, Qatar Airways, Emirates, AirAsia — many migrating to Starlink. Maritime (Fleet Xpress + L-band safety) Cruise ships, ferries, fishing fleets, merchant vessels and offshore platforms — the original Inmarsat market. L-band remains a global maritime safety standard regardless of broadband choice. ## About Inmarsat (now part of Viasat) Inmarsat was founded in 1979 as the International Maritime Satellite Organization to provide safety communications for ships, and that maritime DNA still runs through the network. It expanded into aviation safety (ACARS, cockpit voice/data) and later into passenger broadband through its Global Xpress (GX) Ka-band fleet, which serves both aviation (GX Aviation) and shipping (Fleet Xpress). Inmarsat was acquired by Viasat in May 2023, and its services now operate under the combined Viasat company. Many airline portals and cruise/merchant-marine product pages still reference "Inmarsat," "GX Aviation," or "Fleet Xpress." Technology L-band (safety) + Ka-band Global Xpress (passenger broadband) Coverage Global L-band; global Ka-band via the Global Xpress fleet Typical Speed 12–50 Mbps typical on GX Aviation Ka-band ### History Inmarsat began life as a UN-chartered intergovernmental organization in 1979, was privatized in 1999, and listed on the London Stock Exchange. It launched the Global Xpress Ka-band aviation service in 2014, eventually equipping major carriers including Lufthansa Group, Singapore Airlines, Qatar Airways, and Emirates with GX Aviation. Viasat completed its acquisition of Inmarsat on May 30, 2023, combining the two largest non-Starlink GEO aviation broadband providers into a single company. ## Operators using Inmarsat (now part of Viasat) (4) ### Flights (4) [ NH Inmarsat Operator All Nippon Airways All Providers viasat, inmarsat 5/11/2026 VIEW → ](/airlines/nh) [ CI Inmarsat Operator China Airlines All Providers panasonic, inmarsat 2/27/2026 VIEW → ](/airlines/ci) [ GA Inmarsat Operator Garuda Indonesia All Providers inmarsat 2/27/2026 VIEW → ](/airlines/ga) [ PR Inmarsat Operator Philippine Airlines All Providers inmarsat 2/27/2026 VIEW → ](/airlines/pr) [Airlines](/airlines) [Cruise](/cruise) [Rail](/rail) [Ferry](/ferry) [Bus](/bus) [See Starlink Operators](/starlink) ## How Inmarsat Compares Inmarsat's GX Aviation was a credible mid-tier product in the GEO satellite era, offering more consistent speeds than Panasonic Ku-band thanks to dedicated Ka-band beams. Now under Viasat ownership, it faces the same LEO competitive pressure as everything else in geostationary aviation broadband — including from former GX customers Emirates and Qatar Airways switching to Starlink. | | Inmarsat | Starlink | | --- | --- | --- | | Orbit | GEO / ATG (~600ms latency) | LEO (~20–44ms latency) | | Typical Speed | 12–50 Mbps typical on GX Aviation Ka-band | 100+ Mbps typical, 350+ peak | | Latency | ~600ms (GEO) / 60–100ms (ATG) | ~20–44ms | | Trajectory | Defending installed base | Rapid airline adoption | ## Frequently Asked Questions Is Inmarsat still around? The Inmarsat brand still exists as a product line, but the company was acquired by Viasat in May 2023. Inmarsat services — including L-band safety and Ka-band GX Aviation broadband — are now operated by Viasat. Which airlines use Inmarsat (GX Aviation)? GX Aviation has been used by Lufthansa Group, Singapore Airlines, Qatar Airways, Emirates, AirAsia, and others. Several of these — notably Emirates, Qatar Airways, and Singapore Airlines — are migrating to Starlink, so per-flight provider varies as fleets transition. How fast is Inmarsat GX Aviation WiFi? GX Aviation typically delivers 12–50 Mbps to the aircraft on Ka-band, with per-device speeds in the 5–20 Mbps range on lightly loaded flights. It's a respectable GEO satellite product but trails Starlink (100+ Mbps typical) significantly. What's the difference between Inmarsat and Viasat? Until 2023, two competing GEO satellite operators with different frequency bands (Inmarsat: L-band + Ka-band GX; Viasat: Ka-band ViaSat-2/3). Since the May 2023 acquisition, they're a single company. Operationally, GX Aviation is now part of Viasat's aviation portfolio. Is Inmarsat L-band the same as inflight WiFi? No — Inmarsat L-band is primarily for safety services (cockpit voice/data, ACARS, satphone). Passenger broadband on Inmarsat-equipped aircraft uses the Ka-band Global Xpress (GX) network, not L-band. ## Sources - [ →Viasat completes Inmarsat acquisition (May 2023) ](https://www.viasat.com/about/newsroom/press-releases/viasat-completes-acquisition-of-inmarsat/) - [ →Inmarsat aviation overview ](https://www.inmarsat.com/en/solutions-services/aviation.html) - [ →Inmarsat Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inmarsat) ## Compare Other Providers Inmarsat (current) [Gogo](/providers/gogo)[Viasat](/providers/viasat)[Panasonic](/providers/panasonic)[Intelsat](/providers/intelsat)[Anuvu](/providers/anuvu)[Hughes](/providers/hughes)[SES](/providers/ses)[MedallionNet](/providers/medallionnet)[Icomera](/providers/icomera)[21Net](/providers/21net)[Marlink](/providers/marlink)[Telenor](/providers/telenor-maritime)[VSAT](/providers/vsat)[Cellular](/providers/cellular-bonding) [Starlink](/starlink)[Amazon Leo](/amazon-leo)[All Airlines](/airlines)[Free WiFi Guide](/guides/free-wifi)