Inmarsat C Service Providers

Inmarsat C is GMDSS equipment, so keeping it working is more than a repair job - it has to be installed and commissioned on the network, programmed for the ship's safety and security functions, tested, and surveyed every year for the vessel to stay compliant. Inmarsat C services cover that whole side: installation, network and identity programming, message and distress testing, the annual GMDSS radio survey, and repair.

Installation and Programming

Fitting an Inmarsat C set is simple hardware but exacting configuration. The antenna needs a clear view of the satellite arc, and the terminal is then commissioned on the network and programmed with the ship's identity and settings. The programming is where the work sits: the DNID and network settings that route messages, the SSAS configuration that sends a covert security alert to the right authority, the LRIT reporting, and the EGC and SafetyNET service areas set so the ship receives the safety broadcasts for the waters it trades. Wrong programming leaves a terminal that looks healthy but does not do its safety job.

Testing and the Annual Radio Survey

The part that sets this trade apart is the survey. A GMDSS ship has to pass a radio survey each year, carried out by an approved surveyor who checks the Inmarsat C terminal, its distress alerting and EGC reception, the antenna, and the message logs, and issues the record the flag and class require. It is a carriage condition, not an optional service, and a failed survey can hold a ship in port. Where the fix needs a part it comes through Inmarsat C spare parts, and where a terminal is past repair the replacement is sourced from Inmarsat C suppliers and commissioned by the same team.

A ship cannot sail with a failed GMDSS terminal, so the survey and any fault need a provider who can attend before departure. Weigh the Inmarsat C services below by service area and class approval, and give priority to the ones approved to run the annual radio survey and to programme the SSAS and LRIT, not only to repair the box.