Inmarsat: Satellite Systems and Modernization of the Polish Army
Budynek prefektury zniszczony w wyniku trzęsienia Ziemi w L'Aquila we Włoszech (2009 rok), fot. TheWiz83/it.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 
Maszyna do głosowania. Fot. kafka4prez / flickr.com
Central-Eastern Europe has a number of needs which are related to provision of data access and communications among the users of a variety operational systems, as it was stressed, during his interview for Space24.pl, by Jerzy Świtek, PhD, CEE Business Development Manager of the Inmarsat company.
Dr Jerzy Świtek working at the Inmarsat company also highlighted the challenges of the contemporary battlefields, border protection, or the services taking care of the Polish security. Effective operation within the aforementioned areas is dependent on provision of access to the information, and constant “monitoring of what is happening, in real time”.
Europe is full of solutions beneficial for achieving such fluidity in exchange of information, including a well-established cable communication network, as well as good LTE or 4G infrastructure, or even the radio communication solutions. However, Świtek stresses the fact that the above suites shall be complemented by proper satellite-based solutions, filling in the gaps and increasing the “reliability of the whole system”. All of the governmental agencies, special forces or rescue services would benefit from that.
Dr Jerzy Świtek also told us about the Inmarsat company itself. He emphasized the importance of information security. This is exemplified by the state-of-the-art Global Express Ka-band satellite system. This system was designed in a way, which makes it perfectly suitable for being used by NATO forces, police or the special forces. Inmarsat, as Świtek told us, “acts as the main supplier of systems for solutions that provide communications in high mobility situations”. Thus, the company offers support for the armed forces of the NATO member states. Jerzy Świtek additionally referred to the possibilities of disrupting and jamming the satellite systems, as well as to a set of relevant countermeasures.
Inmarsat’s CEE Business Development Manager also put a great emphasis on the fact that the technology provided by the company “is a great chance for Poland, particularly when it comes to the Polish Armed Forces modernization programme.Among 14 programmes, we have identified 11 in which Inmarsat satellite technologies may be applied.