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.'"

Is today pirate day??

[dada21]

INMARSAT is International Maritime Satellite, a company originally dedicated to ship communications. They're also a pipeline for information hacked by ship pirates to analyze booty to steal.

INMARSAT has enough satellites to cover the globe, and they've bribed every major government of the world to require large cargo ships to use their system, greatly increasing the cost. They now are manipulating the added profits to extend 3G internationally.

I'm a fan of 3G, but not by a megacorp that earned its income through coercion. The fact that large shippers are m ndated to use INMARSAT and that pirates are already receiving the information (speed, cargo weight, location) increases our costs of goods and puts more control powers to the company.

You think Haliburton is bad?

What will it cost?

[Anonymous Coward]

There was a previous attempt to link the world with satellite based 'cell' phones. They launched lots of birds but at the price they were charging for air time, they had no customers. This kind of service may be good for offshore oil rigs and arctic explorers but that kind of customer base is much too small to make it pay. Everyone else is connected much more cheaply than this service can probably compete with. Of course, I didn't see any mention of fees in tfa.

Re:Is today pirate day??

[dada21]

I'm a PDA phone user, so links are hard, but here goes:

Anti-competitive [com.com]

Orbit Act [doc.gov] I think

Pirates + Govt Mandates [strategypage.com]

I have 9 years of history with Inmarsat and Iridium.

Re:What will it cost?

[Old Wolf]

I've had 3G in my pocket for more than a year now. When I first got it, I browsed the front page of slashdot. When my bill came in, I saw that it had cost me $11.

I hope you get it a bit cheaper over there..

Re:Don't get too excited until you know the price

[planckscale]

I recently made reservations with the Marina in Cabo for my parents who were on a 42' sailboat with the service http://skymate.com/ [skymate.com]. Their service description says it is the global, low cost alternative to expensive 'by the minute' satellite services or low coverage, unpredictable cellular providers. It worked very well and the folks were able to send me GPS coordinates (26.26 n, 113.57 w), as well as updates and the request to contact the marina. Email I believe is limited to 1000 characters. Still, I was impressed.

Your phone does not communicat to the satelite.

[RingDev]

This is nothing new, 3G (3rd Generation, not 3gig) has been offered in many US metropolitan areas (DC, LA, Chicago, Madison). 3G is still provided by standard cell towers, the problem is how to get that fatty pipe to each tower. There are a few ways. The expencive way is to run fiber from tower to tower. A cheaper route is Microwave (look for a 20' dish with LOS to another tower/20' dish), but it requires line of sight. Satelite allows the cell towers to connect via terestrial means, or in cases of isolated or expencive locations they can toss a small dish on the tower for a fraction of the cost.

This is not to be confussed with Magellon or other SatPhones that actually did communicate directly to the satelites. Those phones, while wikkid cool, were insanely expensive. And just how many phone calls are you going to make from the top of Everest when your minutes cost you $20 a pop?

-Rick

Re:Don't get too excited until you know the price

[CeramicNuts]

A 56k connection (or voice call) on Iridium is about $1 minute. It works almost anywhere in the world and at 35,000 feet. My company uses the motorola 9505 on aircraft and we use SMS and voice mostly because data is just so slow... but it is cheap, can be cheaper than international cellphone roaming charges!

Brings a Tear to my Eye

[justmiles]

I used to work on that launch project, Sea Launch. It was alot of hard work, but it was also alot of fun. http://www.sea-launch.com/ [sea-launch.com] Novel to follow: For three to four weeks at a time we would put to sea, with the rocket resting peacefully in the hangar. During the one and a half week trip to the equator from Long Beach the crew would spend the time performing launch rehearsals and verifying their system readiness to support the launch. Needless to say there was plenty of time for recreation. Basketball, volleyball, table tennis, and spin classes in the cargo hold followed by poker and darts in the bar. But nothing beats launch day! You have been preparing for this day for the past three months. You have spent countless hours double-checking your launch procedure and launch support equipment. At L minus one hour it starts to get real intense. I take my usual position in front of the RF tracking station after launching the final weather balloon to check upper atmospheric winds. I watch my spectrum analyzers and AGC levels to ensure maximum signal quality. You take one final look over your shoulder at the rocket standing 6 kilometers away on the Launch Platform. Then the final countdown; 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Launch! I see the position change in the signal and I engage autotrack, my fingers poised above the handwheels ready to take over should the autotrack fail. Finally the sound hits the ship and you see the equipment rack light up in this bright orange-yellow light, but you cannot look away from the antenna control. The next three minutes of telemetry data rest solely on your shoulders. Finally the call comes over the net, TDRS has picked up the signal; data recorders are switched to the NASA feed and you relax knowing that you job is done. You stow the antenna and secure your position before signing off the net to go party with the crew on the weather deck. And then there is the sail home, one week of the most absolute boredom you can ever experience. I read all 5 Harry Potter books in an row, twice, because I needed something to do. But eventually that passes and you hear that call of Catalina Island off of the starboard bow. Seeing the smog of LA is one of the sweetest sights of that whole trip. You take a couple of days to get to know your family again, and then do it all over again. Justin Miles Former Sea Launch RF Technician