BGAN, Global Network, Internet Satellite Global

atrexx, a leading solutions provider for the telecommunication and broadcast industries, is offering customers that activate new SIM cards the opportunity to purchase pre-paid BGAN vouchers at discounted rates until 31 December 2010. Inmarsat’s BGAN (Broadband Global Area Network) is a mobile satellite service that allows subscribers to access Internet at broadband speed and to make phone calls at the same time at almost any location on the planet, using a terminal of less than a notebook PC size.

Discounts offered on exclusive BGAN prepay service

Especially beneficial for occasional users, the BGAN vouchers from atrexx are available with a discount of 10 percent for 250 traffic units and up to 20 percent for 5000 units. One traffic unit represents a one-minute call to a fixed network worldwide. atrexx will also waive the fee for service and SIM card activation during the promotional period.

 ”This offer is a great opportunity for new BGAN users. The option to buy pre-paid units is extremely popular, especially in regions like Africa where 99 percent of traditional land mobile communications is estimated to be on a pre-paid basis” said Miriam Zude, Account Manager at atrexx. “We are giving our customers the chance to use BGAN with no monthly fee but we can also offer them the option of topping up their pre-paid account online at $0.90 per unit using a credit card. After they have bought their units, they can then have peace of mind by monitoring the account online making it easy to manage.”

BGAN is a perfect communications choice for anyone that works or travels to regions where the communications infrastructure is lacking or non-existent. Another main attraction of the BGAN system is the fact that no specialist technical knowledge is required to deploy it and it can therefore be used by a huge range of user groups such as journalists, military personnel, aid workers, civil engineers and researchers to name a few.

Valid for 24 months after activation or after the last top-up, the atrexx prepaid service package provides voice applications with unique rates for terrestrial fixed networks and for cellular networks worldwide, broadband Internet access and SMS services. The SIM card may be used in any BGAN hardware.

Ms. Zude continued: “There are very few BGAN providers that offer a prepaid service and atrexx is proud to be one of those. We also offer customer BGAN equipment rental options at just $8.90 per day. This, coupled with the prepaid option, is the perfect choice for users who only need the equipment for a limited time. Prepay BGAN services give the customer flexibility and control over how much they spend at a time where budgets are constrained.”

 Growing markets

Global Xpress will address the established growing markets for VSAT services in the maritime, energy and government sectors, with further growth potential in developing markets such as the aeronautical sector.  Inmarsat will target US$500 million of annual Ka-band revenues five years after the global service is launched. Under a separate arrangement, Boeing has agreed to become a distribution partner for Inmarsat;s Ka-band and L-band services, and has committed to capacity purchases representing more than 10 per cent of Inmarsat’s target Ka-band revenues in the first five years after launch.

 Unparalleled speeds

Inmarsat estimates the total cost of the I-5s and Global Xpress will be US$1.2 billion over four and a half years, incorporating the fixed cost of the satellites, as well as the cost of additional ground network infrastructure, product development, launch services and insurance.

 Chairman and chief executive of Inmarsat Andrew Sukawaty said: “This is a new investment for growth. With the Global Xpress network, we will be the first operator to offer global broadband coverage, offering unparalleled speeds and bandwidth to customers in remote locations around the world.

 ”Global Xpress will be faster and less expensive than current Ku-band market offerings, it will be delivered to smaller and cheaper terminals and be the first offered on a seamless, global, end-to-end basis with high-quality of service. Picture 50Mpbs services to a ship or aircraft, and 10Mbps to an antenna the size of an iPad (20cm).

 ”The Inmarsat-5s will also complement our existing global L-band services, allowing us to offer unique hybrid packages using both networks, giving users unprecedented levels of resilience and reliability in remote and harsh environments.”

“Provision of communications infrastructure in remote locations is a constant challenge for the oil and gas industry”, Jean-Claude Bisenius, Managing Director of atrexx explains. “Oil and gas exploration teams and drilling rigs are often located in the most remote and hostile regions of the planet, meaning that more traditional means of communications cannot be rolled out without great expense or difficulty. For the oil and gas sector, the issue of secure communications is also a principal consideration. Satellite often provides the only solution to this problem.”

Stefan Tomek, IT Manager at VAOS explained:”The expectations of VAOS to operate a modern and secure corporate communications network via the Internet also presented increased requirements on IT security. For example, access to SAP business management software solutions and services from external locations and from site-to-site Virtual Private Networks (VPN) had to be possible.” Regarding the applications that the VPN should support, Mr. Tomek added:”VAOS was also looking for a reliable VoIP connection, centralized management out of Linz, Austria; and access to the Microsoft distributed systems at various locations.”

To ensure highly secure, reliable and error-free communications, VAOS selected atrexx to become a communications partner due to their ability to connect the company’s remote branch offices to the corporate network. The offices use a Virtual Private Network with Microsoft’s Forefront Threat Management Gateway 2010, which guarantees a secure and reliable connection to all other branches via a satellite service provided by atrexx and iDirect’s iSCPC solution. Based on iSCPC, atrexx has developed a unique Quality of Service (QoS) that guarantees lower latency when using VoIP, despite many different types of traffic passing through the system that often operates on a small amount of bandwidth per link to the remote station in the desert.

Speaking of VAOS’ six-year partnership with atrexx, Stefan Tomek, concluded:”Thanks to the very high level of satellite knowledge, effort and support, atrexx has been and will be the right partner to realize our high demand IT solutions in the future!”

“The growing global appetite for natural resources is rapidly driving mining concerns into emerging markets,” said Martin Creamer, Publisher of Creamer Media and Editor of Mining Weekly. “The need for cost-effective communications to support remote operations has never been greater. This agreement aims to strengthen understanding of how satellite and other complementary communications tools are being used to address critical mining challenges.”

“From workforce development and safety to remote monitoring and logistics, there are an increasing number of mining applications being addressed by satellite-enabled network solutions,” said David Hartshorn, Secretary General of GVF. “Through this agreement, Creamer Media and GVF intend to heighten awareness of innovative approaches that are producing positive results in the mining sector.”

Creamer Media’s Mining Weekly publication and MiningWeekly.com, which receives 43,000 unique visitors per week, will begin co-ordinating with GVF on industry news, event information, and special reports that reveal the impact of communications trends on each stage of the mining project life cycle, both for the majors and for the juniors.

The company is responding to the upcoming situation in Middle East. atrexx’ 2way2sat services will be delivered via different satellite position. A wide beam coverage is guranteed from Europe covering full country of Yemen.The key to the 2way2sat services is the new iDirect Evolution platform. It includes the next generation X3 satellite routers, equipped with DVB-S2 standard. The Evolution X3 technology delivers up to 30% improved bandwidth efficiency compared to the DVB-S system. The additional use of Adaptive Coding and Modulation (ACM) provides a gain of bandwidth efficiency of up to 50%. Both features allow for a range of IP applications, including Virtual Private Networks (VPN), Voice over IP (VoIP) telephony and videoconferencing. Applications such as corporate networks, point-of-sale, SCADA, telemetry and multimedia streaming are also supported with ease.The new VSAT technology is cost effective and provides optimized applications, even under difficult weather conditions at the uplink station in Europe.

For superior video qualityBGAN X-Stream is Inmarsat’s new premium IP streaming service. It guarantees streaming data rates from a minimum of 384kbps up to approximately 450kbps, on demand. These are the fastest on demand streaming rates in the world of mobile satellite communications.

Now, using a single, highly compact, lightweight BGAN terminal, you can deliver even higher quality video back to the studio when broadcasting remotely. There is no need for an external antenna or any additional hardware – just use your existing Hughes HNS 9201 or Thrane & Thrane EXPLORER^TM 700 terminal.

BGAN X-Stream will be accessible in EMEA from 20 April 2009 and globally from the end of June 2009. To access the service, contact your BGAN service provider or download the FAQs for more detailed information.

Commercial service on the new I-4 Americas satellite is currently expected to begin at approximately 09:00 UTC on 7 January 2009 from its in-orbit location at 98 degrees West.

Optimal data rates
The I-4 Americas spacecraft is positioned more directly over the region than the I-4 F2, the satellite currently serving the region. This makes it easier to point a BGAN terminal at the satellite and, coupled with a higher concentration of spot beams over the landmass, will provide optimised data rates.

Also, for the first time, network coverage will be extended to include parts of Western Canada and Alaska.

As part of the process, BGAN, FleetBroadband and SwiftBroadband traffic will be transferred from the I-4 F2 to the I-4 Americas satellite, starting at approximately 08:00 UTC on 7 January. This will require a short outage, which is currently expected to last for about one hour.

Re-point terminals
At the end of the outage, BGAN users in the region will need to re-point their terminals from the I-4 F2 satellite at 53 degrees West to the I-4 Americas satellite at 98 degrees West. The latest version of BGAN LaunchPad, available for download from the Inmarsat website, provides coverage maps designed to help end-users re-point their antennas.

Following the scheduled entry into commercial service of the I-4 Americas satellite on 7 January, Inmarsat subsequently needs to reposition its two I-4 sister satellites in order to optimise the network and prepare for the introduction of global coverage, currently planned for 24 February.

While Inmarsat is making every effort to minimise any impact on customers, the repositioning process will require two service outages in January and February affecting a small number of broadband and satellite phone service users in two limited geographical areas.

The planned schedule of outages is as follows:

I-4 F2: 7 January - 2 February 2009

• BGAN – in Iceland, Ireland and parts of West Africa, the UK and Greenland
• FleetBroadband - in a narrow strip of the east Atlantic Ocean
• SwiftBroadband - in a narrow strip of the east Atlantic Ocean.

I-4 F1: 6 - 24 February 2009

Service outage in parts of Asia-Pacific for:

• BGAN
• FleetBroadband
• SwiftBroadband, and
• IsatPhone, LandPhone, and FleetPhone.

Inmarsat plans to introduce full global broadband coverage at the end of the repositioning process, currently scheduled for 24 February 2009.

In addition, starting at approximately 08:00 UTC on 7 January, as part of the network optimisation, Inmarsat will be transferring non-broadband services in the Atlantic Ocean Region West (AOR-W) – including Inmarsat C and Mini C, Inmarsat B, Fleet 33, 55 and 77, GAN, Mini M, Swift 64 and Classic Aero – from the Inmarsat-4 F2 to the Inmarsat-3 F4 satellite, also located at 53 degrees West. There will be an outage of approximately one hour while the transfer is made.

All other services, including Inmarsat maritime safety services, remain unaffected by the repositioning process.

More information about the repositioning, including coverage maps and new versions of LaunchPad, can be found on the Inmarsat website under Support > Coverage.

An elite US response unit has ordered the first units of a new rugged BGAN terminal designed specifically for military use, with integrated Type 1 encryption.

The US Air Force’s 36th Contingency Response Group has ordered the new AN/PSC-14 terminal, which was developed by Inmarsat partner ViaSat.

The AN/PSC-14 combines Inmarsat IP-based BGAN technology with ViaSat AltaSec IP inline encryption equipment to create a portable, ruggedised BGAN terminal capable of both secure and non-secure operation.

Standard rucksack The terminal, described by ViaSat as a tactical “manpack”, fits into a standard military rucksack, uses standard military batteries and is compatible with current military handsets.

An additional special feature is the ability to locate the antenna several hundred feet from the terminal.

Military vehicles Coupled with a separate tracking antenna, the terminal can also fit into a standard mounting on military vehicles to provide communications-on-the move.

Doug Poorman, ViaSat’s AN/PSC-14 programme manager, said: “The PSC-14 has unique features that you won’t find on standard commercial terminals, which give it significantly increased military utility.

Tactical communications “Its ruggedness gives it a level of military reliability that war-fighters need for tactical communications.”

The 36th Contingency Response Group, located at Andersen Air Force base in Guam in the western Pacific, organises, equips and leads cross-functional forces. Its mission is to be ‘first-in’ to secure locations such as an airfield, and to establish and maintain ongoing operations.

Customers using Inmarsat Satellite Phone Services will benefit from the wide range of value-added services that ensure optimal communications performance and cost efficiency. The most notable advantage is the dashboard, which enables customers to manage their usage of Inmarsat Satellite Phone Services by providing real-time information on voice and data traffic used, with associated costs.

The Dashboard further enhances the user experience of these new phone services by providing fast provisioning, as well as rebilling and reporting options to minimize unexpected invoices and potential financial risk. The Stratos Dashboard supports both postpaid and prepaid rate-plan options.

The Dashboard is used by all Stratos partners who deploy the Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN) worldwide. The Dashboard is also expected to be widely used worldwide by customers who will be deploying Inmarsat Satellite Phone Services.

Inmarsat Satellite Phone Services offer a competitive alternative to the handheld, fixed and maritime solutions now available in the marketplace. The services offer high-quality voice and data (2.4 kbps) connectivity via small, affordable equipment.

The IsatPhone is a handheld mobile phone that is ideal for users who include business travelers and government officials. The retail price of the IsatPhone terminal is US$499. End-user airtime charges for all Inmarsat Satellite Phone Services are less than US$1 per minute, with attractive discounts available to Stratos partners. Postpaid packages are available now and Inmarsat expects to announce prepaid packages early next month.

The LandPhone is a low-cost, easy-to-use fixed telephony system that is ideal for remote locations where local networks are unreliable or non-existent. The FleetPhone is a fixed maritime terminal that offers voice services only and is ideal for all maritime applications. The FleetPhone is expected to be commercially available later this month.

Inmarsat Satellite Phone Services are now available in the Middle East, Africa and Asia, to both land and maritime customers. Service in these regions is made possible by Inmarsat’s latest-generation I-4 satellite. Full global coverage is expected by the end of 2008, commencing with the launch of Inmarsat’s F3 satellite.

BGAN

Renting an BGAN terminal is a cost-effective way for those that need the equipment only for a limited time. The standard BGAN Rental Kit is available from atrexx for only $5.90 per day.

Broadband Global Access Network offers reliable, secure data access over Inmarsat satellites in a cost-effective way: Subscribers only pay for the traffic volume – not for the time spent online. BGAN is the ideal broadband solution for employees and government personnel on the move as well as for world travelers that need to be sure of a secure and reliable access to the Internet and to corporate networks in remote regions.

Renting an BGAN terminal is a cost-effective way for those that need the equipment only for a limited time. The standard BGAN Rental Kit is available from atrexx for only $5.90 per day. This includes the subscription fee to the service. In addition, prepaid Credit Vouchers cover usage charges.

BGAN (Broadband Global Area Network) marks a quantum leap in mobile satellite services. BGAN is the first mobile satellite service integrating voice and broadband data and featuring global accessibility. BGAN delivers broadband data and voice, through a portable device, anywhere on the planet.