California-based Viasat has snaffled up the UK’s Inmarsat, in a deal valued at some $7.3 billion. Notably, Inmarsat was taken private in 2019, at a cost of $6.1 billion, with a promise that it would remain UK-based and focused, and while Viasat is promising to stick to that commitment, alarm bells should be ringing. The deal is due to close in the second half of 2022, and while both boards have approved it, the Viasat shareholders still need to vote on it. Viasat has pointed to Inmarsat’s global channels as the main draw, which should help it expand beyond North America. Combined, Viasat reckons it can create a “high-capacity hybrid space and terrestrial network” for both commercial and government use.…