Showing posts with label satellite. Show all posts
Showing posts with label satellite. Show all posts

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Why More Power Companies Use a Satellite Phone: Satellite Phone First Steps

Utility CommunicationsOver the past few years utility companies have seen more of a demand for remote communications via satellite. Severe weather, hurricanes or unpredictable natural disasters such as an earthquake, have increased that need. These disasters might catch most off guard, but utility companies can’t take that risk.

When severe weather strikes terrestrial communications such as land lines and cell towers can go down. In the case of a hurricane; after the storm cell towers become overwhelmed and full of traffic not allowing for reliable communications. This is unacceptable for the utility industry. A remote worker out in the field needs to be able to call the office. There is a simple cost effective solution for a situation like this: Satellite Phones.

Satellite phones don’t rely on cell towers or landlines. The remote worker and the office can both be connected by satellite communications. With satellite phones, you are not connecting to cell towers but to actual satellites. These satellites (Iridium or Inmarsat for example) provide voice and data services to wherever you are in the world.

Phones and rates have come down from the past. In the simplest form a handheld satellite and an airtime plan is all you need to get started and be connected. Recently two southeastern utility companies came to GMPCS for emergency backup communications. These communications will be provided to utility trucks and other remote workers, working to restore power. GMPCS was able to come up with an affordable solution via Inmarsat and the IsatPhone Pro. They also participate in our emergency rental program.  You can read about our rental satellite phones here.

If you are looking for a similar solution for your utility company please visit GMPCS or call Cliff Trinkofsky, our utilities sales expert.  Cliff has over 7 years experience assisting utility companies with their needs for voice and data solutions over satellite. Call Cliff directly at: 954-725-1019

With the right expertise and advice we will find a solution for your needs.

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Inmarsat BGAN Terminal From Hughes Awarded


Inmarsat 9201 BGAN
The Hughes 9201 BGAN broadcasting live video via Inmarsat
After receiving the 2011 product of the year award a few months ago from Satellite Spotlight, the Hughes 9202 BGAN is proving its value. Satellite Spotlight gave the award to Hughes for the 9202 land portable satellite terminal because of Hughes’ commitment to quality and excellence while addressing real needs in the marketplace. The Hughes 9202 has been a popular selling BGAN, and is packed with features.

The Hughes 9202 is the smallest Class-2 BGAN terminal, offering users IP connection speeds up to 464 kbps over the Inmarsat network. One of the most unique and exclusive feature to this unit is the built-in, multi-user Wi-Fi access. Therefore users have the option to send and receive IP traffic via Ethernet and/or Wi-Fi. As with all BGAN models, the Hughes 9202 is IP-based, delivering selectable, dedicated Quality of Service (QoS) levels. For more information and pricing, you can view the Hughes 9202 product page.

Hughes has had such great success with the 9202 on the Inmarsat network it will be interesting to see what they have in store for the future of their only Class-1 BGAN, the Hughes 9201. We expect that it may be harder to get your hands on the Hughes 9201 later this year. Industries such as the broadcast media, mining and oil/gas industry rely on the Hughes 9201. So it we’ll see what Hughes has in store for this established BGAN.

If you are interested in the Hughes 9201 terminal, now may be the best time to purchase one. The main difference with Hughes 9201 model compared to the new one; is that the Hughes 9201 is a Class-1 BGAN. A Class-1 BGAN allows higher bandwidth speeds up to 492kbps. Also, on a Class-1 terminal, multi-user functions allow users to perform more than one task simultaneously. For instance, it is possible to send store-and-forward video via Standard IP, while simultaneously using Streaming IP for a live broadcast. The Hughes 9201 is currently available with more details and pricing on the Hughes 9201 product page.

For a helpful comparison chart on more Inmarsat BGAN options, click here.