Iridium have launched a new pre-paid voucher to cater for high-use seasonal customers. During the summer months sat phone usage increases as users in the tourist and leisure industries start to use sat phones for emergency purposes while partaking in outdoor activities. This voucher is ideal for these customers as it has a six month validity to cover satellite phone usage until the autumn. Furthermore there are no coverage restrictions so users can take advantage of Iridium’s global coverage.
The Iridium 750 minute voucher offers a call cost of 63p per minute to landlines or mobile phones and a cost of just 31p per minute to Iridium phones - these prices are cheaper than the cost per minute with an Iridium contract without the 12 month commitment.
Please note that you cannot add extra validity or credit to the 750 minute SIM card and it is only available on a new Iridium SIM card. The Iridium pre-paid voucher is available to purchase online now for next day delivery from most Iridium service resellers.
TerreStar Networks completed its initial on-orbit testing of Ground Based Beam Forming (GBBF) is complete, clearing another hurdle prior to the launch of its hybrid satellite+terrestrial smartphone service. The service is expected to launch in the second half of this year.
The TerreStar GBBF system is the first two-way GBBF system to employ both ground based calibration and beam forming. The system provides the flexibility to deploy over 500 spot beams and manage power and capacity as customer demand dictates.
"Stable, configurable beams are being formed and link performance is meeting our expectations for this phase," said Dennis Matheson, chief technology officer, TerreStar. "We could not have made this tremendous progress without our dedicated partners Hughes Network Systems and Space Systems/Loral."
"Since the launch of our satellite, TerreStar-1, on July 1, 2009, TerreStar has continued to execute on its vision of offering ubiquitous, reliable and resilient mobile service -- virtually anywhere in North America," said Jeffrey Epstein, president & CEO, TerreStar. "Today's 'first' is another milestone on the path to deliver the next generation of mobile services."
* In September 2009, AT&T agreed to market TerreStar's satellite cellular smartphone. The TerreStar GENUS Smartphone combines AT&T's 3G terrestrial wireless service with TerreStar's all-IP satellite voice and data as a back-up throughout the United States. The TerreStar satellite footprint also covers Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and offshore coastal waters. The satellite-terrestrial smartphone reference design represents the world's first quad-band GSM and tri-band WCDMA/HSPA device running the Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.5 operating system, and offering integrated satellite-terrestrial voice and data capabilities.
* In July 2009, TerreStar Networks successfully completed the first end-to-end VoIP phone call over its newly launched TerreStar-1, the world's largest, most advanced commercial communications satellite. The call used two handsets developed by EB (Elektrobit).
Iridium Communications Inc. unveiled its next-generation “Iridium 9602” satellite data transceiver in January at its annual Partners Conference in Phoenix, Ariz.
The Iridium 9602 is a full-duplex short-burst data (SBD) transceiver designed for embedded applications in the rapidly growing market for remote asset tracking and monitoring solutions. The product, which is the culmination of a two-year R&D program, has completed prototype testing, and Iridium expects to begin commercial deliveries in June.
The new Iridium 9602 short-burst data transceiver will provide global two-way data links for remote tracking, monitoring and messaging applications. The small size of the new Iridium 9602 short-burst data transceiver will enable system integrators to embed the unit in a wide range of small, portable satellite tracking, monitoring and messaging solutions.
“The smaller, lower-cost Iridium 9602 will serve as the data communication engine for a wide range of portable tracking and monitoring devices, leveraging Iridium’s global coverage and low-latency, two-way data links,” said Don Thoma, executive vice president for marketing at Iridium. “Our service partners are already testing prototypes in their Iridium 9602-based solutions for applications such as tracking soldiers and military vehicles in the field, telemetry from unattended sensors, fleet management, enterprise logistics and supply-chain visibility, as well as personal two-way navigation and mapping devices.”
“The matchbox-sized Iridium 9602 is 69 percent smaller, 74 percent lighter and considerably less expensive than the first-generation Iridium 9601 SBD modem, which we designed the Iridium 9602 to replace,” said Thoma. “The very small form factor and low power consumption will offer greater flexibility to value-added manufacturers (VAM) and resellers (VAR) embedding the Iridium 9602 into their products.”
“The Iridium 9602 focuses on highest overall value of price and performance offering global, real-time service combined with new lower pricing,” said Patrick Shay, vice president, data services, Iridium. “The Iridium 9602 is the highest value in the industry.”
A unique feature of the Iridium 9602 is its built-in GPS input/output ports which will permit system integrators to interface with an external GPS receiver, using a single dual-mode L-Band antenna for GPS and Iridium SBD, saving the cost of an antenna in their applications.
The duplex data links provided by the Iridium 9602 will permit two-way communications to and from the remote devices, allowing users to reprogram the unit, adjust its reporting intervals and send on-demand queries for specific data updates. It will also enable first responders and search-and-rescue authorities to respond to emergency distress signals from personal location and tracking devices.
“Prototype evaluations from Iridium’s service partners have been positive,” Thoma said. “More than 90 companies are working on plans to embed the Iridium 9602 in their next-generation products.”
“Our phase-out program for the Iridium 9601 will allow for ample overlap with the Iridium 9602, to ensure that our VAMs and VARs will be able to transition seamlessly to the new technology,” said Thoma.
According to a November 2009 report by TMF Associates, the number of low data rate mobile satellite service (MSS) devices is projected to grow from 1.5 million active terminals at the end of 2009 to more than 3.1 million active terminals by the end of 2013, a compound annual growth rate of 21 percent. Tim Farrar, a satellite industry analyst and author of the report, said, “Low-cost portable satellite tracking and messaging devices are an important new opportunity, and represent one of the fastest growing parts of the low data rate MSS market. The introduction of two-way connectivity will further stimulate market growth, particularly among professional users who may have been reluctant to rely o
Sasken Communication Technologies Ltd, a global provider of software and support services for the communication industry, has reported that IsatPhone Pro, a handheld satellite phone developed by Sasken for Inmarsat, the leader in global mobile satellite communications services, has completed its first call from Hawaii and is set for a planned global launch in June 2010, the company said in a regulatory filing.
“One of the most important elements of the IsatPhone Pro development has been the R&D, and Sasken has successfully delivered on all key milestones in the last 13 months of this engagement,” said Helen Stalker, commercial director of Global Satellite Phone Services at Inmarsat. “We are all looking forward to the phone’s launch planned for June,” she added.
Sasken is responsible for end-to-end development of the IsatPhone Pro satellite phone, which has been made possible through its multi-site capabilities and centres of excellence in India, Finland and Germany. Last year around this time, we announced the partnership with Inmarsat to bring its global handheld satellite phone to the market. This year, they are all set to deliver on that promise.
Emergency communications are being upgraded for anyone traveling on remote sections of the Trans Labrador Highway.
The provincial government has added 25 satellite phones for use along the route between Labrador West and Happy Valley-Goose Bay. The government says the addition will mean that 65 satellite phones will be available to drivers. There is no charge for using the phones. Satellite phones can now be picked up at hotels in Wabush, Churchill Falls, Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Cartwright, Port Hope Simpson and Charlottetown. Residents borrowing a phone need to provide their driver's licence number and non-residents need to provide a valid credit card number.
The new phones are pre-programmed to call the police in case of emergency. The overall highway, which has a mostly gravel surface, runs for hundreds of kilometers. Its route goes from the western mining towns of Labrador City and Wabush across the territory and then along the coast to fishing communities in southern Labrador.
Alex de Waal has posted an interesting piece on the fantastic Making Sense of Darfur blog in which he explains how communication technology is further transforming the face of warfare in locations where communication used to be far more time consuming. In the piece, De Waal analyzes the specific impact of the Thuraya satellite phone on conflict in Darfur; rebel leaders can now communicate with each other from the remotest of areas.
"The advent of the Thuraya phone has radically changed warfare in across the Sahara desert, as illustrated in the case of Darfur. Twenty five years ago, I remember travelling across Darfur with no phone lines, with telecommunication possible only through ageing two-way radios in the police stations. The mail was slow and unreliable. The only way of communicating anything other than the tersest instruction or question was to meet face to face, or send a messenger. On top of the cellphone, which has transformed communication in urban areas, the Thuraya phone has made it possible for people in the remotest locations to communicate instantly. In other places, this has transformed long-distance trade. In Darfur, it has transformed warfare. Desert warfare, as practiced by the Chadians and Darfurians, is based on mobility and surprise. The Landcruiser is the basic unit of military force. The possession of a Thuraya elevates a commander into a potential leader.
Tactical coordination is key to a successful operation. Before the Thuraya phone, guerrilla operations needed tight discipline and extremely careful planning. More often, the commanders gambled on surprise and the momentum of battle, relying on their prowess in combat to carry the day. Today, with the Thuraya phone, commanders in distant theatres can coordinate their actions. Or they can assemble forces from different places at very short order. They only need to agree on that day’s operation—tomorrow’s can be planned tomorrow. A commander with a handful of Landcruisers and a Thuraya is essentially autonomous at a tactical level. It is possible for commanders who formally belong to different factions to coordinate a joint operation at very short notice. Their superiors can do little about it. And it happens.
Airtime is a precious commodity and can be transmitted from one Thuraya to another. Money can be sent too. Instant communication can be backed up by instant resources. Hierarchical command and control over a dispersed force becomes difficult.
Warfare in these places is also a livelihood and a means for political bargaining. Before telecommunications, political bargains had to be negotiated face to face. And once a bargain was made, say between a tribal leader and a provincial governor, it was difficult for the chief to renegotiate or to seek out another patron. The pace of political renegotiation was slow. The Thuraya has revolutionalized the bargaining process, and allowed the chief, or rebel commander, to conduct several negotiations in parallel. He can monitor the marketplace, weigh up his options, and renegotiate his deals rapidly.
The Thuraya war is a facet of globalization and the information technology revolution. It is a deregulation of violence, and developed much more rapidly than the mechanisms for managing and resolving conflicts."
Then again, satellite phones also make it easier for information to be conveyed between warring parties. Misconceptions about an opponent’s capabilities are a major reason behind the unnecessary continuation of a given war. As de Waal has explained, satellite phones ease the difficulty of negotiations and could therefore shorten the course of war by making it more difficult for commanders to withhold private information. This could provide groups with more opportunities to end a war.
Thuraya launches a new satellite phone namely Thuraya XT which is claimed to be the world's toughest satellite phone. Having released it with the many advanced features to ensure resilience, the company ensures that the device complies with world telecom IP54/IK03 standards. This makes it water resistant, and unaffected by dust and it is considered to be the most reliable satellite handheld phone launched so far.
In times when many facilities are required in a handheld phone, this innovative satellite handheld is released keeping all the needs of consumers in perspective. Adding more to its advanced features, it provides users with GPRS facility, allowing browsing the web with a laptop or PC from any location and in-built GPS-Navigation feature allowing users to create and manage Waypoints. Along with its battery longevity which has a talk-time of up to 6 hours, its standby-time is of up to 80 hours. This satellite handheld phone has been designed to allow consumers to use it in severe environments protecting its damage from water, dust and shocks.
This innovative phone has a glare-resistant with an internal brightness sensor making possible to have perfect readability outdoors due to its low reflection in bright environments. With the ruggedness of the phone, the Thuraya XT is designed with a professional and user-friendly menu allowing users to access the functions of the phone in a less span of time.
The phone also provides messaging through SMS, e-mail, fax and Organiser services and supports 12 languages. Besides, adding more to its ruggedness is the outside casing of the device. The external housing is manufactured using the latest polycarbonates and has attached rubber seals on all plugs for entire and complete protection, ascertaining the phone's durability in severe and harsh outdoor environments.
The Thuraya XT weighs only 193 grams, making it one of the smallest satellite phones. The mobile satellite operator provides a wide coverage in more than 140 countries ranging from Iceland to Australia. The product's price and availability is not revealed by the company yet.
