Inmarsat Brings 3G Broadband to North America

Jessup writes "The Earth just got one step closer to true global broadband through satellite based communications. With the launch of the Zenit-3SL rocket the Inmarsat-4 F2 satellite brings 3G high speed cell technology to North America. From the article: 'Their onboard technology is designed to allow people to set up virtual offices anywhere around the world via high-speed broadband connections and new 3G phone technology.'"

Re:Only America?

[AndyFewt]

Well it is most likely (The article didnt confirm this) be in a geosynchronous orbit. That means the satellite stays in a fixed position in the sky relative to the ground. The position of the satellite in space (at an altitude of 22,237 miles) is where the speed of the satellite matches the speed of Earth's rotation. It is unlikely it performs a faster orbit around the planet as then it would also provide services to the other side of the world.

price?

[Anonymous Coward]

Inmarsat currently does phone service in many VERY remote areas (places such as the middle of the oceans, and Antarctica I believe), and it has a pricetag to match.

If the pricing for this is anything like their phone service...it won't be a very viable solution.

Obligatory karma whore wiki

[dada21]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inmarsat [wikipedia.org]

430kbps. Not bad!

Re:Threegeeper

[ptbarnett]

What kind of reporting tells us in detail about the "innovative" use of oil drilling platform tech, but not *how fast this "3G" connection is*?

Yes, the article is lacking. But, you can get the answer by googling for "BGan Inmarsat" (I got the terms from TFA). Or you can go directly to Inmarsat's webpage: http://countdown.inmarsat.com/bgan/default.aspx?to p_level_id=31&language=EN&textonly=False [inmarsat.com].

It's up to 492Kbps, send and receive, for variable bit rate. For guaranteed bit rate, it's up to 256Kbps. I don't know if that means X Kbps each direction, or combined. Maybe someone else can fill in the gaps.

Re:Affordable to upgrade?

[Bananatree3]

3G actually stands for "3rd-generation", and is describing a generation of mobile telephone technology. Check out the Wikipedia article for more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3G [wikipedia.org]

Compaired to GPRS

[Charliems]

Download Speeds
3G: max 384kbps
GPRS: max 48kbps

Upload Speeds
3G: max 64kbps
GPRS: max 24kbps

Don't get too excited until you know the price tag

[daviddennis]

In the late 90s, I talked to a very nice fellow who owned a gorgeous 120' yacht and was travelling around the world as he chartered it. Of course cut-price or no, a 120' yacht is not one of the cheapest things in the world to run, even if you get your diesel from Venezuela at $0.10 a gallon!

We got to talking about boats and Inmarsat and the like, and he was kind enough to tell me his 56k connection cost $12 a minute. The mere act of emailing me must have cost a few bucks an email!

So it's not at all meaningful to know that INMARSAT service is getting better, without understanding how expensive it is. I think the satellite phone service is a couple of dollars a minute.

If it's that expensive, I fear it's of limited interest to most Slashdot users :-(.

D

Re:What do you mean "mandated to use"?

[AlexCV]

Inmarsat is mandated has a ship-to-shore communication system for distress signaling purpose. Along with a specially enabled VHF radio and a GPS (I believe a 406EPIRB is also required), it forms part of the GMDSS (Global Marine Distress something something).

Inmarsat has basically taken the place used by a traditional HF radio. It should be noted that it's not that expensive if it is used solely has part of the GMDSS requirements. The pricing model on Inmarsat is a bit extortionary, but they don't really have much competition.

Inmarsat is affordable?

[Anonymous Coward]

Below are the international rates ( dollars per minute pricing, so talk quickly)
I can get through my phone company:

Inmarsat Atlantic East Aero
15.84
Inmarsat Atlantic East Mini M
12.47
Inmarsat Atlantic East A Voice/Data
12.47
Inmarsat Atlantic East BHSD
12.47
Inmarsat Atlantic East B Voice/Data
12.47
Inmarsat Atlantic East M
15.84
Inmarsat Atlantic West A Voice/Data
12.47
Inmarsat Atlantic West Aero
15.84
Inmarsat Atlantic West BHSD
17.94
Inmarsat Atlantic West BVoice/Data
12.47
Inmarsat Atlantic West M
15.84
Inmarsat Atlantic West Mini M
12.47
Inmarsat Indian Ocean A Voice/Data
12.47
Inmarsat Indian Ocean Aero
15.84
Inmarsat Indian Ocean BHSD
17.94
Inmarsat Indian Ocean B Voice/Data
12.47
Inmarsat Indian Ocean M
15.84
Inmarsat Indian Ocean Mini M
12.47
Inmarsat Pacific Ocean A Voice/Data
11.31
Inmarsat Pacific Ocean Aero
12.47
Inmarsat Pacific Ocean BHSD
12.47
Inmarsat Pacific Ocean B Voice/Data
9.30
Inmarsat Pacific Ocean M
12.47
Inmarsat Pacific Ocean Mini M
9.30
Inmarsat Unified B
17.28
Inmarsat Unified M
15.84
Inmarsat Unified Mini M
12.47

Re:Yay!

[drwho]

You're jumping up and down about nothing. GSM has been in the US for a while. Systems other than GSM had been used in Europe besides GSM, and CDMA is still used throughout China. CDMA has it's advantages, so does GSM. If anyone cares, I can pull out the references.

There's many things to get annoyed at the US government for. Not standardizing on GSM is not one of them.

I4 BGAN services require pointed antennas

[volts]

These comparisons to cellular data networks are a bit off the mark. Inmarsat's BGAN (Broadband Global Area Network) of which the I4 satellites are the space segment, only supports fixed applications. You need a directional antenna that is pointed at, and has clear line of site to, the satellite.

The closest satellite equivalents to cell networks for voice are the Irridium and Thoria services. Irridium is heavily used for mobile data applications, but doesn't offer GPRS-like speeds or IP connectivity.