Inmarsat's I-4 fleet

Inmarsat's I-4 fleet

This is the first of Inmarsat's 4th generation satellite fleet, was launched in March 2005 and subsequently went into service over the Indian Ocean. This fleet includes two latest generation satellites, the Inmarsat-4s (I-4s), which were launched in 2005. Together, they provide coverage to around 85 per cent of the world's landmass and 98 per cent of the world's population. That dish antenna is 9 meters across, the array of solar panels extend 45 meters. The flap at far left is a "sail", able to "harness pressure exerted by particles from the Sun - the solar wind - to steer the I-4 and fine-tune its orbital position". This bird is already improving existing Inmarsat service in its planet print, and shows its stuff in terms of high speed data.

Inmarsat is also planning to launch a third I-4 satellite in 2008. This will deliver complete mobile broadband coverage of the planet, except for the extreme polar regions. Inmarsat's first wholly owned satellites, the Inmarsat-2s, were launched in the early 1990s, and the Inmarsat-3s - the first generation to use spot beam technology - followed later in the decade.

The total fleet now comprises 10 satellites. The I-4s set a new benchmark for mobile satellite communications in terms of their power, capacity and flexibility. One I-4 satellite is 60 times more powerful than an Inmarsat-3, and the I-4 fleet is expected to have a commercial life until around 2020.

Thuraya SG-2520 World’s First Satellite Smartphone

SO-2510 introduces breakthrough technology in the new Thuraya SatPhone, setting the standards for the smallest and most robust satellite handset in the industry. The premium SG-2520 handset will support Thuraya and GSM 900/1800/1900 networks, will be GPRS-capable and will run on a Windows-based operating system. It will be the first satellite phone with color display and built-in camera.

The new generation Thuraya handset is powerful and compact, offering total convenience and mobility. With Thuraya, you can enjoy uninterrupted, seamless, border-to-border satellite telecommunication services in more than 110 nations in Europe, North, Central Africa and large parts of Southern Africa, the Middle East, Central and South Asia. The new Thuraya SatPhone opens up the boundaries in communication, enabling you to go even further. The company gained worldwide prominence when it was reported that members members of some terrorist networks used Thurayas, as they are harder to pinpoint the location of than regular cell phones.

Telefonia Satellitare keeps on keepin' on with their dual-mode GSM satellite phones. We're hesitant to call the GSM aspect worthy of the title "worldphone" because it's tri-band, but the devices do feature GPS, GPRS, USB connections, Bluetooth, and a 1.3 megapixel camera; the smaller 2510 is the budget handset. Buy it to call your mom from the top of Everest, dude!

Bin Laden & His Satellite Phone System

Bin Laden & His Satellite Phone System

While Osama bin Laden, and other al Qaeda and Taliban leaders may be hiding out in the mountains along the Afghan-Pakistan border, they are not cut off from the outside world. For a few thousand dollars, you can put together a a portable, solar powered, Internet connection. Weighing less than twenty pounds, it can be stuffed into a backpack and carried anywhere. Using solar panels, a satellite phone and a laptop, and you are connected. Satellite phone companies now provide higher data speeds. Not quite DSL, but you can move all the data a terrorist mastermind requires for communication and propaganda.

The terrorists know that Western intelligence agencies are all over the satellite phone systems. But by using code words, and encrypting the messages, much information can be exchanged without unacceptable risk. Moreover, the phones themselves can be used at a distance from the hideouts, lest the Americans are plotting the location of the phone, and have a missile armed Predator UAV nearby. The intel people won't comment on this, especially any success they may have breaking the multiple layers of encryption, or doing an analysis of transmission locations. At the same time, such portable Internet set-ups are also useful for Western counter-terrorism forces operating in the back-country. U.S. Army Special Forces often have small teams doing stake outs in the outback, and Internet access is essential for getting and sending information.

Globalstar degradation of the amplifiers

Globalstar - degradation of the amplifiers

One thing you really want to have as a satellite communications company is a nice collection of well-functioning satellites. Without them, to state the incredibly obvious, you own a nice collection of space junk. And that is the problem that now faces GlobalStar, the satellite communications provider.

On Feb 7th, 2007 the company filed an incredible 8-K document with the SEC. In a section labeled “Satellite Constellation Operations,” the company made some disturbing disclosures. Globalstar has previously said that a number of its satellites have suffered from degradation of performance of power amplifiers to the S-band antenna which provides the downlink to subscriber phones or data terminals.

The result can be reduced quality and call duration. If the S-band antenna stops working, then you can’t have a two-way conversation using the specific satellite. GlobalStar conjectures that the amplifier problem might relate to irradiation in orbit, but it isn’t entirely sure. The company says it has managed the issue in various ways, including placing spare satellites already in orbit into service and moving its satellites to different orbits. Previously, the company has said that with the addition of eight spare satellites planned for launch in 2007, two-say service would be viable until a set of next-generation satellites were placed into service in 2009.

And now, the punch line: Based on data recently collected from satellite operations, the Company has concluded that the degradation of the amplifiers is now occurring at a rate that is faster than previously experienced and faster than the Company had previously anticipated. In response, the Company, in consultation with outside experts, has implemented innovative methods, and plans to continue to implement additional corrective measures, to attempt to ameliorate this problem, including modifying the configuration of its constellation as described above, and thereby extend the life of the two-way communication capacity of the constellation. Nonetheless, to date the Company has been unable to correct the amplifier problem and may be unable to do so.

GlobalStar says it is “exploring the feasibility of accelerating procurement and launch of its second-generation satellite constellation, to attempt to reduce the effects of this problem upon its customers and operations.” It says the company “will be able to forecast the duration of service coverage at any particular location in its service area and intends to make this information available without charge to its service providers, including its wholly owned operating subsidiaries, so that they may work with their subscribers to reduce the impact of the degradation in service quality in their respective service areas.”

Satellite phone makes high-speed Internet connection

Satellite phone makes high-speed Internet connection

At 130 gr, it's the world's smallest Satellite phone and last week, Thuraya made a high-speed Internet connection through it. It was the world's first such call and yet another feat for the rapidly expanding company. Thuraya's second generation phones will become a new favorite with Himalayan expeditions and limited numbers of the SO-2510 were introduced to the market recently ahead of its full commercial launch in September.

Wednesday, Project Manager Ahmed Mansoor Al Abd and his team made the first successful 'packet call' on the SO-2510 handset (packet call refers to the data transmission technology known as GPRS, or General Packet Radio Service). Until now, such connections were only possible through latest GSM phones or special satellite kits like ThurayaDSL, which provides high-speed data service; or high speed modems such as BGANS. 'We were able for the first time to browse the Internet and download files,' Mansoor Al Abd said. Handset users can download information at speeds of up to 60Kbps and upload at about 15Kbps. Thuraya will initially offer a basic GPRS service to the second-generation handset users for an additional fee. Plans are also underway for introducing a number of GPRS-based advanced features.

The smallest satellite telephone GSP-1700

Satellite phones have traditionally been big, bulky monsters that look more like bricks than actual phones. But just like their cellular phone cousins, satellite phones are also getting smaller. When you hit the road, you make do with our ordinary GSM handsets for voice calls, but that strategy doesn't always work when you are reporting from, say, the rural fringes of Kazakhstan.

After Thuraya, Globalstar debuted the world's smallest, lightest handset for use on a global satellite network. The new GSP-1700 mobile satellite telephone, which operates on the Globalstar satellite network in more than 120 countries and six continents around the world, is nearly half the weight of the company's current satellite handsets weighing in at approximately 7.1 ounces or 203 grams. And it's close to 45 percent smaller than Globalstar's other satellite phones. The lithium-ion battery is designed to provide users with four hours of talk time and 36 hours of standby time. The GSP-1700 is being manufactured by Qualcomm.

GSP-1700 is Globalstar's smallest satphone to date. In addition, this Qualcomm handset packs an EV-DO modem, so you can get high-speed data access from "virtually anywhere you can see sky," according to the company's website. We're not sure on the price of this handset, but given that its predecessor, the GSP-1600 goes for $750 (without a service plan), it's a safe bet that this one will go for at least that much when it's released "in the coming months."

satellite phone

All types of satellite phone rentals. Click here to check out the best deals
satelite phone rental:
"Satellite Phone, Satellite Phone Rental, Iridium Phone, Globalstar, Iridium Phones, Iridium Satellite Phones, Global...
Satelite Phone: Specializing in Satellite Phone Rental, Iridium Phone, Globalstar, Iridium Phones, Iridium Satellite Phones, Global Star, Satellite Phone Rentals, Phone Satellite, and About Satellite Phones ...
Our satellite phone rentals keep you connected anytime, anywhere ... be restricted by everyday, ordinary cell phone coverage areas ...
We have satellite phone systems that will work wherever ...

http://www.bluecosmo.com/