Western Hemisphere RBGAN and BGAN coverage
Western Hemisphere and West Africa to be covered
in April 2006
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Posted: 4/7/2006
As of April 17, Inmarsat's new 4F-2 satellite
will provide RBGAN coverage for South America. Users
in West Africa are now able to connect to the new satellite,
in stationary orbit over Brazil.
The new BGAN
terminals, with higher bandwidth and voice capability,
will have access from North and South America, Africa, Asia,
and Europe.
RBGAN users in Guinea and Mali have begun to switch to
the new satellite, in stationary orbit over Brazil. A user
in Guinea, where the Indian Ocean satellite was barely
above the horizon, was able to "pick it up without problems" and reported
85% signal strength.
Users in Western Africa within the footprint of the Inmarsat
4-F2 satellite now have the capability to select which satellite
they wish to use. The Launch Pad software (version 3.15.0) provides
heading and elevation information that can be used to locate
both satellites.
It is important to note that RBGAN service will not currently
be provided to users in Canada, USA, Mexico, Belize, Honduras,
Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama, or the
Caribbean. However, the new BGAN terminals will operate throughout
the Western Hemisphere.
A map of the planned coverage area can be found on the Inmarsat
Web site.
With the expanded coverage area, humanitarian groups and missions
in remote areas of South America now have access to email service,
as do teams now in Asia and Africa (as in the picture above).
The introduction of BGAN service , with bandwidths of up to
492 kbps, will enable remote users to have Internet access. The
BGAN system utilizes the same I-4 satellites, but it is more
robust than the 144 kbps RBGAN bandwidth and will utilize different
(and costlier) terminals. These terminals, which will offer both
voice and data, are now being tested. For more information on
the upcoming Inmarsat BGAN service, click
here.
For more on the new BGAN service and terminals, click
here.
For information on the proven RBGAN system, click
here.
For further information and assistance, contact your service
provider, or you may email us at info@humaninet.org.
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