BBC Works with Stratos to Become First News Organization to File Reports Using BGAN Mobile Satellite Service, Via an HNS terminal21 February 2006
r> BETHESDA, MD, Feb. 20 - Stratos Global Corp. (TSX: SGB), a leading global communications provider and the world's leading distributor of Inmarsat satellite services, today announced it has helped the BBC to successfully transmit store-and-forward broadcast news reports from the Philippines mudslide-affected disaster area using Inmarsat's new Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN) mobile satellite service. The BBC's television report tonight on the mudslide recovery effort was the first news report ever to be transmitted using BGAN via an HNS 9201 terminal.
For many years, Stratos has served as one of the satellite communications companies providing the BBC with solutions that enable reporters to send live television and radio reports via satellite around the world. The new BGAN service is faster and uses satellite terminals that are lighter and smaller than those offered by any other mobile satellite service.
The mudslides first hit Guinsaugon village in the Philippines' southern Leyte Province on Feb. 17 and a BBC journalist and cameraman began reporting from the affected area on Feb. 19. Normal communications methods are not an option in Guinsaugon and reporters have been relying on satellite to send their reports from the remote region. The village is located more than six hours from the nearest airport in Leyte's provincial capital of Tacloban. Tacloban is nearly 650 kilometers (400 miles) from the Philippine capital of Manila.
"Stratos has been working hard to help the BBC integrate BGAN into its newsgathering infrastructure. The BBC's success in using BGAN this week demonstrates how the service allows lightweight newsgathering in remote regions, with the minimum of equipment. This enables newsgathering crews to file from areas that have little or no telecommunications infrastructure," said Ian Canning, Stratos' managing director, EMEA.
Canning added, "BGAN's high-speed, streaming-IP service helps the BBC deliver content as quickly as possible to audiences worldwide. Also, the HNS 9201 terminal combines ultimate performance with an extremely rugged design. It is the highest-bandwidth terminal in the range and the only one to support WLAN connectivity."
Using compact, lightweight satellite terminals about the size of small laptop PCs, BGAN offers IP data speeds of up to 492 kbps. The service is designed for broadcasters who need dependable, secure voice and broadband access in locations where terrestrial or cellular communications are nonexistent or unreliable. It is ideal for on-the-scene connectivity when satellite news vans are unavailable or unfeasible - or as a reliable, portable back-up solution.
As the leading global provider of Inmarsat services, Stratos combines around-the-clock global support, an unrivaled terrestrial backbone network, and sophisticated online account management tools to meet the needs of broadcasters - as well as professionals in the military, government, aid, energy, engineering and construction markets.
A fully functional BGAN system can be set up and shut down in minutes, without special technical expertise. The smallest BGAN terminal weighs less than one kilo and full-featured terminals provide streaming IP and background IP data options, as well as WLAN capability for multi-user access.
About Stratos
Stratos Global Corporation (http://www.stratosglobal.com) is a publicly traded company (TSX: SGB) and the leading global provider of a wide range of advanced mobile and fixed-site remote communications solutions for users operating beyond the reach of traditional networks. With its owned-and-operated infrastructure and extensive portfolio of industry-leading satellite and microwave technologies (including Inmarsat, Iridium, Globalstar, MSAT, VSAT, and others), Stratos serves the voice and high-speed data connectivity requirements of a diverse array of markets, including government, military, energy, industrial, maritime, aeronautical, enterprise, media and recreational users throughout the world.
Source: prnewswire
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