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December 08, 2005
World's First Broadband Satellite Data Service Launched
Inmarsat PLC switched on the first phase of its long-awaited $1.5 billion satellite network Wednesday, giving users across Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia access to simultaneous voice and broadband Internet service.
London-based Inmarsat, which operates a constellation of satellites that enable voice and data services, said its Broadband Global Area Network, or BGAN, will allow data transfer speeds of up to 492 kilobits per second.
The first of those satellites was switched on Wednesday. The second is scheduled to come online in the second quarter of 2006 and will extend coverage to the Americas, meaning the entire service will cover 85% of the world's land mass and 98% of the global population.
Posted by admin at December 8, 2005 08:07 AM