Inmarsat BGAN Video

What is BGAN?

Throughout the blog I have been using the word BGAN. In case you are not sure what this means, I have decided to explain it in simple terms.

BGAN is Inmarsat's broadband global area network. Inmarsat is a satellite voice and data provider. BGAN was the world's first mobile communications service to provide both voice and broadband data simultaneously through a single, truly portable device on a global basis.

For those who have jobs in remote locations and that need to be mobile, accessing the Internet meant a return to slow dial-up speeds. But when using the BGAN, you get all the benefits of high speed broadband.

TSF praises speedy action after L'Aquila earthquake

Télécoms Sans Frontières (TSF) praised the Italian authorities for swiftly re-establishing communications after the earth quake in L'Aquila on 6 April that claimed around 300 lives.

The Inmarsat-sponsored emergency communications aid agency swiftly deployed with the primary task of identifying any shortfall in communications for relief agencies and the population as the earthquake left 20,000 people homeless.

Co-ordinating centreTSF spokesman Oisin Walton said: "We installed a fax connected to BGAN for rescue teams at the co-ordinating centre in L'Aquila, but there was no need for internet using BGAN and most survivors had their own mobile phones.

"Our objective was mainly to make sure both aid agencies and the population had communications, which was the case. The Italian Civil Security services were extremely well organised and communication networks were fixed within a matter of hours."

This was TSF's second mission to Italy - the NGO intervened in the Aoste valley in 2000 after heavy floods. In the past 10 years TSF has deployed to 11 earthquakes worldwide.

Source: Inmarsat

Video Streaming

BGAN 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™ 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.

Fastest video streaming speeds available via satellite using a highly compact, portable terminal.
Higher quality video delivered back to the studio via a single terminal when broadcasting remotely.
No external antenna or any additional hardware required - just your existing HNS 9201or EXPLORER™ 700 BGAN terminal.
Save money by replacing SNG trucks with BGAN terminals using BGAN X-Stream, thanks to enhanced video quality.
Globally accessible from end June 2009, so you can use BGAN X-Stream wherever the next story breaks.
No compatibility issues - tested and configured to work with the leading professional video applications and codecs.

Source: Inmarsat

Calls from the wild

This week, the Financial Times ran an excellent review of the Iridium 9555. The conclusion is that the 9555 is “without a doubt the best” satellite phone the reporter has ever used. He touts the improved capabilities and size and recognizes the importance of communication in remote areas of the world.

Financial Times
4.16.09
Paul Taylor

One of the most reliable mobile phones I ever owned was a Kyocera handset that seemed able to pluck a wireless signal out of the proverbial “thin air” and survived years of use and misuse until my youngest daughter managed to crack its miniscule screen.
The downside of that era, in which form often trumped function, was that the Kyocera was an ugly beast. Shaped like a jumbo Mars bar, it was more likely to elicit hoots of laughter than admiring glances from passers-by.
A decade later, the Iridium 9555, the latest satellite phone, is also unlikely to win any beauty shows. But it represents a leap forward both in capability and size. The 9555 is about 30 per cent smaller and 27 per cent lighter than its predecessor, the 9505a. It measures 143mm in length by 55mm in width, has a depth of 30mm and weighs 266g.

Like other Iridium handsets, the 9555, which costs about $1,600 with accessories, is designed to work with Iridium’s network of 66 Leo (low Earth orbit) satellites that enable users, including geologists, explorers, rescue workers and business travellers to remote areas, to make voice or data calls from virtually anywhere on Earth. (Calls cost between about $1 and $2 a minute, depending on the service plan.)
If you need a versatile satellite phone and can justify the rather steep initial cost, the Iridium 9555 is without doubt the best device I have used
While the 9555’s rugged handset is designed for tough environments, the phone will also appeal to general users and includes a number of significant improvements, among them a bigger, brighter display and an antenna that retracts into the handset body rather than rotating and swinging upward to a vertical position.
The 9555 also delivers improved audio quality, an integrated speakerphone, better SMS and e-mail messaging capabilities, and an upgraded mini USB data port, which, together with new software, makes data communications and internet access easier. Although data transmission speed is still rather slow at 9,600 baud (a measure of data transmission rates), it is acceptable for e-mail and basic web browsing when there is no other available service.
The design of the Iridium system also makes it highly secure – perhaps one of the reasons why use is restricted in some countries. I found the 9555 as easy to use as a standard mobile phone, and coverage is good, even in areas where ordinary cellular handsets do not work, provided you are outside and have a clear line of sight to the sky.
The only difficulty I encountered was installing the USB driver software needed to use the handset as a modem, which took longer than it should have.
Overall, if you need a versatile satellite phone and can justify the rather steep initial cost, the Iridium 9555 is without doubt the best device I have used.

Search & Rescue gets some help

"Search and rescue assistance for vessels off the coast of Africa has been enhanced by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) with help from Inmarsat and three of its partners.

The east coast of Africa and the Indian Ocean will be safe two new regional search and rescue (SAR) centres

The new centres, in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Victoria in the Seychelles add to the existing Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre (MRCC) in Mombasa, Kenya, first opened in May 2006.

All three rescue centres were commissioned by the IMO’s Secretary-General Efthimios Mitropoulos and transport ministers in each country.

Necessary satellite equipment for all three centres provided Inmarsat manufacturer partners Thrane & Thrane, Japan Radio Company (JRC) and Nera (now owned by Thrane & Thrane) free of charge.

The MRCCs will use the Inmarsat C or mini-C services, supplemented in each location with two Fleet F77 terminals.
Inmarsat head of maritime safety services Brian Mullan was instrumental in co-ordinating the supply of the essential satellite communications equipment from the three manufacturers.

“Without the generous support of the Inmarsat manufacturers, it would have been extremely difficult for these three centres to have been equipped to such a high standard,” said Brian.

“They willingly co-operated with the request for practical support by the IMO’s International Search and Rescue Fund. Their assistance is highly valued by the maritime community, which is fully familiar with their onboard equipment.”

Inmarsat’s chief executive Andy Sukawaty also signed a five-year agreement in 2005 to support the IMO’s International SAR fund with US$50,000."

Source: satprnews

I Shouldn't be alive

The Discovery channel has this month been showing a lot of programs about survival. They made this month into a survival theme. Most of the survival shows, especially "I shouldn't be alive" have been quite interesting. This show in particular has always made me think, firstly, these people are always in situations where they cannot contact anyone, and secondly, these people have survived amazingly. 

What came to mind in last nights show was, what if they had a satellite phone? Granted, I work for a company that sells these phones and its simple to just think about this, but shouldn't people be more aware of these brilliant "life saving" devices. In last nights episode, a group of people where flying over Botswana. The light aircraft had problems and crashed in the bush in the middle of nowhere. Unfortunately this plane didn't have a locater beacon installed (which most aircraft's of this size do). And so this group of people had to survive in the bush, injured and thirsty.

To cut the long story short, 2 members of the group eventually went for a very long walk (just barely made it) while the injured members stayed behind. They found a camp and managed to save themselves and the injured members a while later.

All I could think of was, these guys could have been safe if they had a satellite phone on them or in the plane. Of course, the phone could have not survived the crash but most of the satellite phones are built tough, especially the Iridium 9555. With this phone (which works anywhere in the world) they could have phoned for help and not have had to go through the troubles and torture they went through. But we can always say that after these types of things have happened.

My advice is, "prevention is better than a cure". 

Streambox and Matrox Partner

Below is a press release on the Streambox. Streambox provides a single software-based platform for live and file-based video transport and acquisition over IP. The platform comprises clients - from small form factor mobile devices and laptops - to rule-based video management and play-out systems. The scalable end-to-end Streambox solutions can be integrated into all IP centric broadcast and broadband operations. The streambox is very much used in combination with our BGAN units.

SEATTLE — Mar. 26, 2009 —Streambox, Inc. today announced a partnership with Matrox, an industry-leading provider in the field of HD and SD digital video hardware and software for realtime editing, audio/video input/output, capture/playout servers, clip/still stores, and CGs. Streambox and Matrox have integrated Matrox’s MX02 SDI device with the Streambox® ACT-L3™ Software Encoder to enable SDI-based video capture and streaming for Mac OS laptops running Streambox encoding software.

The Streambox® ACT-L3™ Software Encoder enables mobile reporters to gather, edit, and stream high-quality video over low-data-rate IP connections – making it a powerful solution for newsgathering from a variety of locations. Until now, mobile reporters were limited by their laptops to ingesting only digital video via a FireWire connection. With the addition of the portable MX02 unit, the laptop encoder can ingest SDI video, resulting in much higher picture quality. This helps news organizations differentiate themselves from competitors as they provide higher quality breaking news video to viewers

Source: Streambox


“We are pleased to be working with Streambox to offer an even broader set of capabilities to our customers,” said Francesco Scartozzi, Matrox’s director of sales for the Americas. “The integration with the Streambox® ACT-L3™ Software Encoder has opened up a new market opportunity for the MX02 to be used in newsgathering applications.”

“When covering breaking news, broadcasters need to first and foremost be able to transmit the video quickly and reliably over a variety of low cost, low data rate connections,” said Bob Hildeman, chairman and CEO of Streambox. “With the new Streambox-MX02 SDI solution, broadcasters will be able to outshine competitors capturing DV and soon the joint capabilities will enable broadcasters to do HD-SDI capture for mobile newsgathering”

As a Matrox OEM, Streambox will be selling the MX02 with Streambox® ACT-L3™ Software Encoders as a complete solution for SDI-based video streaming. The solution is currently available for Mac OS laptops and Windows drivers will be offered soon. More information about the Streambox® ACT-L3™ Software Encoder and other Streambox products and solutions is available online at www.streambox.com.

What is the Iridium satellite constellation?

"The Iridium satellite constellation is a large group of satellites used to provide voice and data coverage to satellite phones, pagers and integrated transceivers over Earth's entire surface. Iridium Satellite LLC owns and operates the constellation as well as selling equipment & access to its services.
The constellation requires 66 active satellites in orbit to complete its constellation and additional spare satellites are kept in-orbit to serve in case of failure.[1] Satellites are in low Earth orbit at a height of approximately 485 miles (780 km) and inclination of 86.4°. Orbital velocity of the satellites is approximately 17,000 mph (27,000 km/h). Satellites communicate with neighboring satellites via Ka band intersatellite links. Each satellite can have four intersatellite links: two to neighbors fore and aft in the same orbital plane, and two to satellites in neighboring planes to either side. The satellites orbit from pole to pole with an orbit of roughly 100 minutes. This design means that there is excellent satellite visibility and service coverage at the North and South poles, where there are few customers. The over-the-pole orbital design produces "seams" where satellites in counter-rotating planes next to one another are travelling in opposite directions. Cross-seam intersatellite link handoffs would have to happen very rapidly and cope with large Doppler shifts; therefore, Iridium supports intersatellite links only between satellites orbiting in the same direction."
Source: Wikipedia

World's smallest satellite phone

With the pocket fit sized Thuraya SO-2510, satellite phones are no more cumbersome gadgets to carry around.

Thuraya SO-2510 offers satellite services exclusively in a mobile handset that is as compact and light as a small GSM phone. As the world’s smallest and lightest satellite phone ever made (weighing only 130 g and measuring 118 x 53 x 18.8 mm), Thuraya SO-2510 has redefined the perception of a satellite mobile phone.

The Thuraya SO-2510 is large and rich on features. The phone features include GmPRS, Location Tracking (GPS), Fax and Data at 9.6kbps and SMS - services that allow subscribers to be in touch with the world anytime and anywhere in Thuraya’s coverage area.

Satellite Launch

Ever wondered how they get satellites into space? The below video will show you how an Inmarsat Satellite was launched.






Please note: Flash is required to view the video above. If the video is missing or not playing then please download and install Flash.

What is?

I'm going to start explaining some of the Satellite 'talk' or 'lingo' with a "What is" post every now and then. This should end up being quite useful.

What is Fixed Satellite Service?

Fixed Satellite Service (FSS) refers to a satellite service which uses fixed terrestrial terminals.
In other words, FSS is any satellite service where the ground station does not change locations frequently.
Consumer satellite television is the most popular application of Fixed Satellite Service.
The opposite of FSS is Mobile Satellite Service (MSS)

Source: Tech-Faq

Thuraya sponsors Everest Challenge

Thuraya recently sponsored renowned adventurer, Sir Ranulph Fiennes, on his Everest Challenge 2008 which sought to raise 3 million British pounds for the Marie Curie Cancer Care Charity. As key communications sponsor, Thuraya provided the communications equipment and logistical support as he sought to conquer the world’s greatest mountain, Mount Everest.…”
Source: Everest Challenge, Thuraya


"
renowned adventurer, Sir Ranulph Fiennes, on his Everest Challenge 2008 which sought to raise 3 million British pounds for the Marie Curie Cancer Care Charity. As key communications sponsor, Thuraya provided the communications equipment and logistical support as he sought to conquer the world’s greatest mountain, Mount Everest.

Over his 63 years, Sir Ranulph has built up an extraordinary CV as one of the world’s great adventurers. At the forefront of major expeditions since 1969, he was the first man to visit both the North and South Poles by land and the first to cross the Antarctic on foot. The Transglobe Expedition saw Fiennes spending three years, from 1979 to 1982, circumnavigating the globe along a line of latitude that passes through both poles. In more recent years, he has run seven marathons on seven continents in seven days, and scaled the north face of the Eiger. His expeditions have raised more than £10m for charity.

Although he was not able to make it to the summit after turning back due to exhaustion, the Everest Challenge still managed to £1.73 million so far and Sir Ranulph is calling for people to keep on donating to reach the target. "So as long as we reach our target of £3 million for Marie Curie I will be happy,” he said.

Source: Everest Challenge, Thuraya

Can you conficker it?

Update!
Internet in South Africa went on the blink today, being April 1st some people thought it was a big April fools joke. According to the ITweb article, this, most likely had nothing to do with the conficker worm but some DNS issues at telkom.

The new variant of the conficker worm (virus)

apparently did not strike like it was supposed to but industry analysts are still handing warnings out.

Read the full article here.

Check for the virus on your machine and remove it using the tools at this link.

Sources: ITweb, PCanswer.com

Mobile broadband network goes global

"The era of global coverage for mobile broadband communications has arrived, following completion of Inmarsat's network-optimising satellite repositioning programme.
The new global I-4 satellite network went live when broadband services were successfully transferred to the Inmarsat-4 (I-4) F1 spacecraft at 20:00 UTC on Tuesday, 24 February.

The new global I-4 satellite regions are:
I-4 Americas - from 98 degrees West
I-4 EMEA - from 25 degrees East
I-4 Asia-Pacific - from 143.5 degrees East.

Also involved in the transfer were Inmarsat's satellite phone services (SPS) - IsatPhone, LandPhone and FleetPhone - which have now commenced operation on two I-4 satellites.
As a result, satellite phone services are now available on both the I-4 EMEA and I-4 Asia-Pacific satellites.
The restoration of services on the I-4 F1 brings Inmarsat's satellite repositioning programme to a successful conclusion."

Source: Inmarsat.com