[119123] in Cypherpunks
Data in the sky - Inmarsat announces packet data capabilities
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Bill Stewart)
Fri Oct 15 23:55:57 1999
Message-Id: <3.0.5.32.19991015204019.009ef100@idiom.com>
Date: Fri, 15 Oct 1999 20:40:19 -0700
To: cypherpunks@cyberpass.net
From: Bill Stewart <bill.stewart@pobox.com>
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Reply-To: Bill Stewart <bill.stewart@pobox.com>
http://www.inmarsat.com/newsroom/releases/isdnip2.html
October 13, 1999 [Image]
Inmarsat announces packet data capabilities
[Image]
[Image]
Inmarsat today announced that it will be the
first mobile network with a global packet data
capability able to support IP. This will
complement Inmarsat's Mobile ISDN service which
operates at 64 kbit/s and uses new mobile satcoms
units the size of a notebook computer and
weighing 4 kg (9lbs).
Speaking at a press conference at Telecom '99 in
Geneva, Andrew Ivey, marketing manager of
projects, said that the new capability is
particularly suited to providing rapid, cost
effective enterprise network access in areas of
limited or no terrestrial or cellular coverage.
"Using the Inmarsat network, companies around the
world will be able to extend their LAN and WAN
capabilities beyond their physical boundaries
into a Global Area Network (GAN) to work with
customers, suppliers and manufacturers, wherever
they are in the world," said Andrew Ivey,
marketing manager of projects at Inmarsat.
The packet data capability, expected to become
operational in early 2000, is part of a major
investment programme at Inmarsat, and will allow
users to be charged for the amount of data they
send or receive, rather than for the amount of
time they spend on-line. This will bring the
possibility of dramatically lower costs for those
requiring mobile Internet access.
"The dramatic rise in the use and dominance of
the Internet by corporations means that this new
capability will be ideal for a whole range of
data intensive business solutions including
intranet access, e-commerce and customer
relationship management applications, as well as
providing broadcast-quality voice telephony,"
said Ivey.
"Data already accounts for 40 percent of traffic
on the Inmarsat network, and forecasts show that
this will likely grow to 70 percent by 2003,"
said Ivey.
In addition to the traditional markets served by
Inmarsat's land mobile services: government and
[Image]security, oil and gas, construction, media, and
humanitarian aid, the global area network
capabilities, via Inmarsat, are expected to be
utilised by a new range of markets. These
include: finance, pharmaceutical, chemical,
service consultancies and food and drink
producers.
The mobile units are being manufactured by Nera
(Norway), Thrane & Thrane (Denmark) and STN ATLAS
Elektronik (Germany) and will be available in the
fourth quarter of 1999. Using standard ISDN and
IP interfaces, they will give access to a full
range of desktop software via the Inmarsat
satellite network. The packet data capability
will be offered as a field upgrade to existing
units in early 2000.
Among the many solutions that the Global Area
Network will support, Inmarsat is demonstrating
four key ones on its Telecom stand (Stand #7120):
video conferencing by Scotty, e-commerce by PA
Consulting, Wireless Access Protocol by Ericsson
and remote working by Netverk.
A number of Inmarsat service providers will be
offering these new capabilities in the fourth
quarter of 1999. They are: BT (UK), COMSAT (US),
France Telecom, DeTeSat (Germany), Station 12
(The Netherlands), Stratos (Canada), Telenor
(Norway), and Telstra (Australia).
Terminal pricing by the manufacturers and service
pricing from some of the Inmarsat service
providers will be announced at Telecom '99.
About Inmarsat
Established in 1979 to serve the maritime
industry by developing satellite communications
for ship management and distress and safety
applications, Inmarsat currently operates a
global satellite system which is used by
independent service providers to offer an
unparalleled range of voice and multimedia
communications for customers on the move or in
remote locations.
In April this year, two decades after it was
established, Inmarsat became the first
intergovernmental "treaty" organisation to
privatise and become a limited company. Its
headquarters are in London.
[Image]
For more information, please contact:
Elizabeth Hess at Inmarsat on +44 171 728 1256, Fax +44
171 728 1179
E-mail: elizabeth_hess@Inmarsat.org
Thanks!
Bill
Bill Stewart, bill.stewart@pobox.com
PGP Fingerprint D454 E202 CBC8 40BF 3C85 B884 0ABE 4639
