Inmarsat has reported that governments and militaries in more than a dozen countries around the world have successfully trialed or are currently evaluating the recently launched L-TAC service for communications-on-the-move. The company also revealed that two of the world's largest armed forces have already acquired Inmarsat's latest satellite communications solution, greatly enhancing their communications capabilities in the field.

Launched officially in July 2013, L-TAC uses Inmarsat's global L-Band satellites to extend the reach of the UHF radios used by the world's militaries. By affixing a small antenna and sub-system to either a vehicle or a soldier's backpack, military and other personnel can use their existing UHF radios to give them L-Band global satellite communications. L-TAC has been tested successfully at speeds of up to 70 mph.

"This is a tremendous achievement considering the L-TAC service was launched only two months ago and product modules have only become available this month," said Andy Start, President, Global Government at Inmarsat.

"We responded quickly to a demand in the marketplace with an easy-to-use service that addresses a communications challenge for the world's militaries. We are very pleased to see the enthusiasm and uptake to this point."

UHF military satcom typically utilises expensive and scarce TACSAT channels. L-TAC's hardware converts the UHF radio signal to L-Band to enable transmission across Inmarsat's global satellite network.

Since initially demonstrating the L-TAC service in July, militaries that have trialed the service have praised its voice quality, ease of use and speed of set-up. The service provides clear communications at high speeds, crucial for convoys on the move in hostile environments.

"The L-TAC service fills a gap in military capability by offering access to assured L-Band capacity that significantly expands Beyond-Line-of-Sight communication on the move, at the pause and at the halt," Andy Start continued.

"In only nine months, Inmarsat developed an offering that is easy-to-use, requires minimal training and is highly cost-effective in that it precludes the need to replace expensive radio equipment, demonstrating our ability to quickly respond to the requirements of our government customers."

Inmarsat and its partners will be a visible presence at the DSEi exhibition to be held in London from Tuesday 10th September and will be sponsoring the ADS Defence Reception on Thursday 12th September. The continuing schedule of L-TAC demonstrations and trials for military customers throughout the world is expected to result in an increasing adoption of the L-TAC service over coming months.