...provides NGOs with a total of 3,000 minutes per month, shared between three SIMs, for one predictable, low monthly charge. The new IsatPhone Pro bundle gives NGOs the flexibility to pool minutes across three different SIMs to make calls to other IsatPhone Pro handsets and landlines. NGOs will benefit from a dependable voice service while keeping a tighter control of their field-based satellite communications costs.
Inmarsat’s commitment to providing a dependable, affordable communications service to the Humanitarian Aid sector also extends to its latest broadband service BGAN Link. Launched earlier this year, it allows NGOs working on location for sustained periods of time to take advantage of a high-volume usage broadband service for a fixed monthly price and is currently available in 5, 10 or 15GB packages.
Commenting on the ubiquity of Inmarsat services, Jean François Cazenave, President at Inmarsat-sponsored emergency communications agency Télécoms Sans Frontières (TSF), said: “We continue to rely on Inmarsat’s satellite communications to support relief efforts all over the world. The reliability, affordability and dependability of Inmarsat’s BGAN and IsatPhone Pro services, even in remote areas, allow us to provide vital communications links for as long as is necessary in the aftermath of natural disasters, where telecoms infrastructure has been damaged by earthquakes or floods, as well as in conflict zones. In Mali and its neighbouring countries, in North Niger and North Burkina Faso for example, we are deploying BGAN to help the UNHCR carry out its assessment mission and are using both the BGAN and IsatPhone Pro services to help Malian refugees through the provision of reliable communications means for international NGOs and humanitarian workers supporting them.”
“As a leading global mobile satellite service provider to the Humanitarian Aid sector, we are continually looking for ways to further improve the services we provide to NGOs. We have listened carefully to NGOs who have been telling us that affordability and predictability of pricing, alongside our unrivalled Quality of Service, is extremely important to them. We have responded with this new voice bundle for our IsatPhone Pro service,” said Ronald Spithout, President of the Enterprise business unit at Inmarsat. “Our IsatPhone Pro and BGAN Link packages for the Aid sector help NGOs to better control their satellite communication costs because they know exactly what they are spending every month. This will allow them to benefit from Inmarsat’s services every day, over an extended time period, not just in times of emergency or crisis."
IsatPhone Pro is popular with humanitarian workers providing aid during rescue operations because it is a robust, easy to use handheld satellite phone that delivers reliable global coverage, clear voice quality and unrivalled battery life. Inmarsat recently announced that it had secured its 100,000th IsatPhone Pro order, a remarkable milestone achieved in the short time since the phone was introduced in June 2010. The BGAN Link service allows access to typical office applications such as email, internet and intranet access, and VPN access to corporate networks, wherever their operations are based. If an organization exceeds its monthly allowance, it is simply charged for the additional usage at the in-bundle per-MB rate, or can have a free upgrade to the next data package. NGOs that require total cost control for peace of mind can select an option that cumulatively monitors daily usage to ensure the monthly allowance is not exceeded. Either way, NGOs can now have complete predictability and control of their communications budget.
BGAN Link’s plug and play broadband is easy to set up, with no technical expertise needed. The service has low power requirements, low installation service and support costs and will remain connected in extreme weather conditions. Both IsatPhone Pro and BGAN Link operate over Inmarsat’s award-winning I-4 network, offering around 99.9% satellite and ground network availability, giving assurance for voice and data connectivity wherever a NGO’s operation is located. These services are available now through Inmarsat’s global partner network.