New Satcom Service Readies for 2010 Launch
Inmarsat, a provider of global mobile
satellite communications services,
announced recently that the first call has
been made using its global handheld
service, IsatPhone Pro, which is on track
for launch in June 2010. In preparation
for launch, Inmarsat said it has passed a
number of key milestones in the development
of the service and finalized some
essential contracts and distribution
arrangements. A contract to upgrade the
Inmarsat ground network was completed
by Lockheed Martin, and further testing
on the integration between the handset
and the ground network is under way.
Inmarsat’s partner for the handset development
is Sasken Communications
Technologies. Elcoteq, the world’s third
largest manufacturer of mobile phones,
will produce IsatPhone Pro at its facility
in Tallinn, Estonia. IsatPhone Pro is
targeted primarily at professional users
in the government, media, aid, oil and
gas, mining and construction sectors. It
will offer satellite telephony, with
Bluetooth for hands-free use, voicemail,
text and e-mail messaging. Location
data will also be available to the user to
look up or send in a text message.
According to Inmarsat, IsatPhone Pro is
the first Inmarsat handheld to be purpose-
built for its network. It will be available
on a global basis over the three
Inmarsat-4 satellites, which have an
operational lifetime into the 2020s.
www.inmarsat.com
As featured in Womp 2010 Vol 03 - www.womp-int.com