GMPCS has placed the first order for personal broadband satellite terminals for the Inmarsat BGAN service. The order for 1,000 units was placed with Nera SatCom, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Nera.
The Nera WorldPro 1000 terminal will enable customers of GMPCS to connect to Inmarsat’s Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN) service at speeds of up to 384 kbps from 85 percent of the world’s land mass. The service is scheduled for availability from the fourth quarter of 2005 and will enable users to access both voice and data communications simultaneously from a single satellite terminal.
“Inmarsat’s BGAN service has the potential to revolutionise mobile satellite communications, offering high-speed data connectivity and voice communications from a terminal half the size of a laptop computer,” said Craig Van Wagner, president and chief executive officer of GMPCS. “GMPCS is committed to having equipment on the shelf and ready for distribution immediately upon commercial availability of the BGAN service.”
Measuring only 15 x 20 cm and weighing less than 1 kg, the Nera WorldPro 1000 is the smallest broadband satellite communications terminal on the market.
Designed specifically to be easy to carry and easy to use, the terminal is targeted at users in the military, aid and media sectors who need instant access to broadband communications in areas with poor terrestrial communications infrastructure.
Both wireless and wireline options for connecting computers and voice handsets provide optimal flexibility on location.
GMPCS’ order for the Nera WorldPro 1000 comes only a month after the product was launched on the market. The order for 1,000 units will be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2005.
“GMPCS’ order testifies to the strong market demand for personal broadband satellite terminals,” comments Mr. Stig-Are Mogstad, president of Nera SatCom. He continues, “It is a very positive signal of the market’s belief in the uptake of the BGAN service.”
