International Mobile Satellite Organization (IMSO) is the oversight body of the satellite communications elements of the

Global Maritime Distress and Safety System The Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) is a worldwide system for automated emergency signal communication for ships at sea developed by the United Nations' International Maritime Organization (IMO) as part of the SOLAS Convention ...

(GMDSS) established by the IMO designed to provide a worldwide system for automated emergency signal communication for ships at sea. IMSO ensures that the provision of maritime mobile satellite communications services (currently provided by Inmarsat Ltd and Iridium Ltd).

History

INMARSAT

The International Maritime Satellite Organization (INMARSAT) was established under the auspices of the

International Maritime Organization The International Maritime Organization (IMO; ; ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for regulating maritime transport. The IMO was established following agreement at a ...

by the Convention on the International Maritime Satellite Organization, signed at

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

on 3 September 1976 and entered into force on 16 July 1979. The organization was modeled after

Intelsat Intelsat S.A. (formerly Intel-Sat, Intelsat) is a Luxembourgish-American multinational satellite services provider with corporate headquarters in Luxembourg and administrative headquarters in Tysons, Virginia, United States. Originally formed ...

, an international consortium which provided satellite communications among the member countries. The Communications Satellite Corporation ( COMSAT), a founding member of Intelsat, took the lead in the founding of Inmarsat. In coordination with the

International Civil Aviation Organization The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates the principles and techniques of international air navigation, and fosters the planning and development of international sch ...

in the 1980s, the convention governing INMARSAT was amended to include improvements in aeronautical communications, notably for public safety. The first Director General was appointed in January 1980 and operations began in 1982. Olof Lundberg, who had previously managed and developed mobile and specialized services at Swedish Telecom (now Telia), served as Director General and CEO until 1995.

IMSO

In the mid-1990s, there was contrasting views among member states for the agency's future. There was a growing realization among the member states that the organization's business assets needed to be privatized, mainly because of the competitive nature of the satellite communication industry and the unwillingness of many member states to invest money into INMARSAT to improve its network. There were also many which believed in the importance of maintaining the organization's role in overseeing maritime satellite communication. The issue was resolved in a session in April 1998, which resulted in the amendment of the Convention on the International Mobile Satellite Organization, in which the operational assets would be split and privatized while the agency would continue as a regulatory organization. On 15 April 1999, INMARSAT became the International Mobile Satellite Organization (IMSO). At the time, the operational assets of INMARSAT were separated to become Inmarsat Ltd., a private UK-based company which agreed to inherit, overseen by the IMSO, certain public safety obligations related to the satellite system's operation. An agreement between the

(ICAO) and the IMSO was signed in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

, Canada, on 20 September 2000 and addresses the relationship between ICAO and IMSO. As of November 2018, Inmarsat has 103 state partiesMember states
. that represent approximately 95 per cent of the gross tonnage of the world's merchant fleet.

References

External links

Official website of IMSO
{{Authority control Aviation safety Communications satellite operators Emergency communication Emergency management Intergovernmental organizations established by treaty International organisations based in London Maritime safety Organisations based in the London Borough of Islington Organizations established in 1979 Satellite telephony 1979 establishments in England zh:国际移动卫星组织