Open technology platforms have revolutionised the technology industry, increasing levels of innovation and opening up new opportunities for developers and businesses alike. As part of the development of the next generation of the global mobile satellite technology and applications, Inmarsat, will harness this culture of innovation by opening up its platforms to developers to encourage new ideas that will change the way satellite communications are implemented on land, at sea and in the air.

The new open technology strategy, to be announced at the first Inmarsat Developer Conference (IDC), will give the growing Developer Community the freedom to utilise Inmarsat technologies to develop innovative and bespoke applications.

During the three-day event, over 300 software, hardware and application developers will have the opportunity to hear about Inmarsat’s strategy – both long term and for the coming year – as well as meet other companies, developers and organisations from across the world that are already using Inmarsat’s infrastructure to develop innovative business solutions. Delegates will also learn how to become an Inmarsat developer through the Certified Application Partner programme.

Ian Kennedy of Cisco, a key strategic partner of Inmarsat, will deliver the keynote speech on “disruptive innovation in a hyper-connected future”. In his speech, Kennedy will describe a vision of a hyper-connected 2020, a future where sensors and actuators are clustered and organised as systems that change the way we live and work.

Inmarsat’s verticals – Maritime, Enterprise, Aviation and Government – will feature heavily during the event, with experts from across each product market area highlighting the biggest growth areas for satellite communications within each specialist sector, helping developers to pinpoint the best ways to utilise Inmarsat’s open technologies.

Michele Franci, Chief Technology Officer, Inmarsat, said, “We recognise the constant need for people and things to be connected regardless of time or location. We have been providing global mobile connectivity for decades and want to leverage this position to facilitate the development of new applications, enhancing the way in which people interact with our technologies. Our new open technology approach, based on building blocks made easily available, will allow both new and existing partners to take advantage of our cutting edge technology, particularly Global Xpress, as a platform on which to build bespoke applications in new areas. This is the first IDC we are holding and I personally look forward to welcoming new developers into our already impressive community.”