More BGAN News

Weather lashes UK military team on Himalayan charity trek

15-04-2008 - The first contingent of a BGAN-equipped British armed forces expedition has begun the ascent of Makalu in the Himalaya.

Members of the main team, drawn from the Royal Air Force, Royal Navy and British Army have started posting daily blogs and pictures on the Makalu 2008 expedition website, using one of four Thrane & Thrane BGAN terminals loaned by Inmarsat partner NSSL.

All members of this main team reached an interim base camp at the south-east ridge on 7 April - 4,100 metres (13,451 feet) above sea level - beneath the world's fifth highest mountain.

A few days later they moved to another base camp climbing a further 1,000 metres (3,281 feet). From there they started their ascent to the summit of Makalu at 8,463 metres (27,770 feet) from the north-east.

Torrential rain, spectacular pictures and powerful accounts of their exhausting journey to the mountain have been posted online via Inmarsat for the world to read.

While ascending the Shipton La peak, Lieutenant Angela Laycock wrote: "The last two days have been pretty emotional ones. We started yesterday in our shorts and T-shirts enjoying an English summer's day with a few clouds looming. After just a few hours it became a typical Welsh day with torrential rain.

"After lunch it felt as if we had been transported into a Scottish winter and by this point most of us were fully Gortex'd up!"

The expedition is raising funds for SOS Children's Villages, an international charity that provides family environments, schools and communities for orphaned and abandoned children.

Construction Projects possible with BGAN

Construction Keep projects rolling

BGAN provides instant, on-site voice and high-speed data connectivity for your remote projects - no matter where they're located or for how long.

Project and site managers can send progress reports, still images and video back to head office directly from the construction site - improving efficiency and productivity and helping to reduce completion times.

BGAN terminals are robust, highly portable, and can be set up in minutes. They're ideal for managers moving from site to site - or you can establish a multi-user office on-site with fast and reliable access to all your standard office applications, enabling you to:
Better control project progress and information - chase suppliers and contractors, join conference calls, conduct event-driven research and access company databases without having to wait for connectivity

Improve resource and supplier management - order and track supplies online, ensuring timely delivery

Increase the speed and quality of decision-making - use video or videoconferencing to improve reporting capabilities or to tackle unexpected issues with expert input from architects or surveyors located off-site

Improve asset monitoring and site security - remote site surveillance with CCTV cameras to protect your site, as well as monitoring assets and personnel

Enhance the safety of your workers - dependable front-line communications enabling immediate response in case of incident or injury

Fleetbroadband wins award!!

FleetBroadband scoops top innovation accolade

04-04-2008 - FleetBroadband scooped a prestigious award for innovation at the Lloyd's List London Awards for 2008.

The cutting-edge voice and high-speed data service came in for praise from the judges as fresh evidence of Inmarsat's unwavering support for the maritime community.

The judges recognised Inmarsat's "continuing commitment" to serving the maritime industry "from its original remit in safety and distress communications to the current range of voice and data services" .

Inmarsat's head of maritime business, Piers Cunningham, received the award in front of 450 guests during a ceremony at the Natural History Museum in London.
Independent panel Piers said: "It's a great honour to receive the innovation award for FleetBroadband from such an esteemed body.

"The category was judged by a completely independent panel of maritime experts. It's very rare to have no idea whether you've won an award before it's announced but this was kept under wraps until the night, which is why the awards are so highly respected."

Video Blog made possible through BGAN

NewsVideo blogs personalise plight of disaster victims

28-03-2008 - An international humanitarian relief organisation is using BGAN to highlight the poignant personal experiences of people affected by disasters in remote areas of the world.
The Christian humanitarian organisation Operation International Blessing (OBI) has provided disaster relief, medical aid, hunger relief, orphan care, water wells and community development around the world for the past 30 years.

Now it is also providing personal accounts from the field via its new With My Own Eyes website and BGAN is being used to send back invaluable video blogs from the most remote locations.
Spread awarenessOBI's international director David Darg said he had become a huge fan of BGAN, using the units to do live radio interviews in the Sudanese desert, live TV from Mexico, streaming video from the middle of a flood zone in Pakistan, uploading earthquake shots from Peru and downloading vital country statistics in Somalia and the Ukraine.

He said: "BGAN has revolutionized the way in which we communicate to our donors. It has become a vital tool in our disaster relief kit.

"In addition to meeting the physical needs of the victims of disaster we are now able to take their plight to the world as it unfolds.

"This gives the donor a link to the field and better understanding of how they can help."
OBI first responders tested out the BGAN units when recent disasters struck Pakistan, China, India, Bangladesh, Peru and Mexico.

Snow hit ChinaThe website includes a video from remote parts of Hunan Province in China, in which OBI's director of international disaster relief, Kumar Periasamy, points out the severe impact of snowfall that persisted for 20 days.

OBI concerned itself with the most remote communities, highlighting an old lady abandoned by her family and grateful for food and clothing. Also, a remote village of lepers who welcomed a gift of fresh pork - something they had not eaten for many months.

Other recent blogs recount steps to rid Honduran children of debilitating water-born parasites, the burial of a murdered two-year-old during the recent post-election strife in Kenya, a personal account from a tornado victim in Tennessee, and Kumar Periasamay's report from flooded Ecuador where clean drinking water was the major issue.