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Inmarsat beams about satellite broadband

Published: December 7, 2005, 5:38 AM PST
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Britain's Inmarsat has launched a long-awaited service to provide voice and high-speed Internet access anywhere in the world, as the satellite operator looks to tap new sources of revenues.

Inmarsat, which operates a constellation of satellites that enable phone, fax, video and Internet access from anywhere in the world, said on Wednesday that its new Broadband Global Area Network, or BGAN, will enable data transfer speeds of up to 492 kilobits per second.

"It enables anyone to set up a broadband mobile office in minutes and remain fully productive--wherever they are on the planet," Michael Butler, Inmarsat's chief operating officer, said in a statement.

The service, which took six years to develop, can be accessed through a range of lightweight satellite terminals, the smallest of which is about half the size of a laptop computer.

The BGAN service is delivered using the company's new generation of Inmarsat-4 satellites, the second of which was launched last month.

Inmarsat said the service would be initially available across Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia, and would be extended to the Americas during the second quarter of 2006.

Story Copyright © 2005 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.

 9 comments
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TalkBack

Satellite is too expensive

Nick Eklund   Dec 8, 2005, 8:11 AM PST

Satellite Broadband of any kind Sucks

Don Mcelyea   Dec 8, 2005, 6:50 AM PST

DTV and BPL

Nick Carretta   Dec 7, 2005, 1:33 PM PST

how can we contact copany

John Bohringer   Dec 7, 2005, 11:57 AM PST

Why Wi Fi?

Richy Glock   Dec 7, 2005, 9:14 AM PST

may be nice

Jesus Segura   Dec 7, 2005, 8:47 AM PST

This is quite interesting, but...

Sheldon Britton   Dec 7, 2005, 7:36 AM PST

 Read more comments >
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