Inmarsat , the Total Communications Network via satellite, has announced that it has re-tasked its backup satellite, establishing a 5th Ocean Region - Indian Ocean Region West (IND-W). The company is aiming at meeting the predicted take-up of Global Area Network (GAN) Mobile ISDN services particularly in the Middle East by aid agencies, governments and the media.

An official release informs that the Inmarsat GAN is used by all of the world's major broadcasters as a mobile data communications service via satellite enabling them to report quickly and from closer to the action. Broadcasters such as the BBC, CNN, NBC and ABC use the Inmarsat GAN to connect their videophones with their studios for live broadcasts of worldwide news events. The release informs that Videophone via Inmarsat GAN was used extensively during the Afghanistan conflict, and has also been used during many major natural disasters to coordinate safety issues and services.

A spokesperson for Inmarsat has been quoted in a report as saying that the UK Ministry of Defence alone has accredited 700 media representatives for Iraq.

Inmarsat manages a global network of nine satellites in geostationary orbit. Until today, only four of these satellites were required to provided the on demand high-data rate services on a near global basis for Inmarsat GAN. The other five satellites together acted as in-orbit spares, while also providing a global leasing network for certain Inmarsat services. The addition of the fifth satellite to the main fleet, a latest generation Inmarsat 3 satellite, ensures Inmarsat provides continuous reliable communications services to its customers in the Middle East.