Satellite based connectivity underpins internet access in Iraq
Posted: 7 October 2003
Regional BGAN evolves as the fellow traveller on in-bound
regional and international business community in Iraq
Regional BGAN, an Inmarsat service that delivers fast access to
the Internet via satellite through a mobile satellite modem, is
underpinning the data connectivity needs of businesses coming in
and out of Iraq, said GloCall Middle East, an Inmarsat distribution
partner, and a division of France Telecom Mobile Satellite Communications.
The company’s commercial director, Danny Wassenaar, said
that Regional BGAN is becoming the fellow traveler of Arab and foreign
businesses traveling in and out of the country. “In the last
few months, our sales of Regional BGAN satellite modems has more
then doubled on the construction, oil and gas and NGO sectors among
other sectors. While it is a challenge to pin down individual users
once the sale is done, we can confirm the continuous and heavy use
of the Regional BGAN terminals through our sales and data traffic
and billing processes.”
Wassenaar explains that individual travellers, whether part of
large organizations or representing their own enterprises, coming
in and out of Iraq in search of business opportunities, or establishing
a long term base for their operations, find in Regional BGAN a safe
investment.
“Internet connectivity in Iraq is in its nascent stages,
with
obstacles such as low landline penetration and poor international
bandwidth availability hindering increased connectivity. Inmarsat’s
Regional BGAN is currently offering the only satellite broadband
service in the country. The service has been very popular due to
its flexibility in mobility, and high speed, on-demand connectivity.”
Wassenaar explains that the Regional BGAN satellite modem is small
enough to fit in a laptop bag, easy to set up and use, and using
a shared channel delivers up to 144 kb/s anywhere in 99 countries
across the Middle East, Europe, Northern and Central Africa, the
Indian Subcontinent, and most of the Commonwealth of Independent
States (CIS).
Iraq currently lacks much of the telecom infrastructure that would
permit many of these businesses to conduct their vital telecommunication
needs in the country. Wassenaar explains: ”The current telecommunication
bid would probably solve the voice communication needs in some parts
of the country. However, fast Internet access will not be available
for the foreseeable future and Regional BGAN is filling that gap.”
About Regional BGAN
Inmarsat Regional Broadband Global Area Network (Regional BGAN),
launched in December 2002, is fully compatible with GPRS networks
and features a 144kbit/s secure shared channel based on IP protocol.
Its lightweight and compact terminal enables enterprises to connect
to the Internet, their corporate LANs and WANs or simply to send
emails from anywhere within the coverage area of up to 99 countries
in Europe, Middle East, Africa, Eastern Europe and the Subcontinent.
About GloCall
GloCall is completely dedicated to the provisioning of mobile communication
solutions via satellite. With our skilled and enthusiastic team,
we enable our customers to communicate (for example phone, fax,
e-mail, crewcalling) from virtually any place on earth. Via GloCall
you can stay in touch with your family and business partners, no
matter where you are on our planet, against minimum costs.
Posted by Richard Price,
Editor Pipeline Magazine
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