First BGAN Voice Call on Inmarsat 4 Satellite

LONDON, May 9, 2005/Satnews Daily/ — The first BGAN voice call has been made over the new Inmarsat-4 satellite using a prototype Nera terminal, marking another major milestone in our preparations for the launch of Inmarsat's new broadband services later this year.

Inmarsat said the call was connected on April 28 via the satellite access station (SAS) managed by Xantic in Burum, The Netherlands - one of Inmarsat's two new BGAN terrestrial gateways. Inmarsat said the call was delivered with outstanding quality using BGAN's advanced voice coding technology.

The BGAN voice capability will also support both traditional and Bluetooth handset technology, and can be used simultaneously with the high-speed data service, which will operate at rates of up to 492kbps.

“This is a fantastic achievement that puts us ahead in the development and testing phase for BGAN,” Paul Griffith, vice-president for Product Management and Marketing at Inmarsat said.

“A high-quality voice capability is a significant element of the BGAN service, and I am delighted to see such excellent results from this first test. It is a testament to the expertise and hard work of the Inmarsat and Nera teams.”

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