Inmarsat I4 Satellte Launch

Proton prepares to launchthird I-4 satellite into orbit

Global broadband coverage moves a step closer next month with the launch of the third and final Inmarsat-4 (I-4) satellite.

Proton on the launchpad Lift off is scheduled for 22:46 UTC (23:46 BST) on 13 August from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, the historic location for the launch of the first man-made satellite, Sputnik, in 1957 and the first man in space, Yuri Gagarin, in 1961.

The I-4 F3 will be injected into a geosynchronous transfer orbit 35,786km (22,240 miles) above the Earth on a Proton Breeze M launch vehicle. Once tested and operational, it will complete the worldwide constellation of I-4 spacecraft, while delivering Inmarsat's range of advanced satellite phone and mobile broadband data services to North and South America at 98 degrees west.

BGAN Streaming Demo

7/25/2008

SingTel demos streaming of live video from vehicle

Inmarsat partner SingTel ran a live demonstration of the Thrane & Thrane Explorer 727 vehicular BGAN terminal.

The event, attended by a large number of representatives from the media, took place at the CommunicAsia exhibition in Singapore.

Exhibition siteSingTel fitted a vehicle with the Explorer 727 terminal, which drove around the site of the exhibition.

Using a combination of the terminal, which features a roof-mounted antenna for constant satellite tracking on the move, and Streambox video technology, the vehicle was able to stream video footage taken from one of its windows to a screen located at SingTel’s expo stand.

Net access on the goAt the same time, some other customers in the vehicle tested the Explorer 727’s ability to connect to the internet while the vehicle was in motion.

The Explorer 727 offers users multiple voice and data interfaces, including ISDN for legacy applications, and four Ethernet ports.

FleetBroadband

FleetBroadband field trials impress shipowners

Early feedback from Inmarsat-supported evaluations of FleetBroadband among maritime end-users suggests that ship operators are appreciating the benefits of broadband at sea.

Ten companies are taking part in the trials of FleetBroadband, called martime field evaluations (MFEs), two of which have been completed.

The participating companies have been split by vessel segment, with seven drawn from the deep-sea merchant sector, and one each from the fishing, government and leisure sectors.

Exceeding expectationsThe terminals deployed are a mixture of JRC FB250 and Thrane & Thrane FB500 models.

Initial feedback has “exceeded expectations”, with many of the participants enjoying their first taste of IP-based broadband communications, says Inmarsat maritime market manager Kartik Sinha.

Inmarsat has been able to make the evaluations as smooth as possible by offering remote assistance from its London HQ.

Flexible optionsInmarsat’s applications team can access the onboard terminals remotely and step in with expert advice should any troubleshooting be required.

A JRC FB250 and Thrane & Thrane FB500, both static, have been installed in the London solutions lab and the hub.

“If users wish to create their own scenarios, such as establishing a WiFi hotspot at a certain position on the vessel, we can test this here,” Sinha explains.