[SatNews] Whether a ship at sea, a disaster responder in the field, or a journalist rushing to breaking news, Internet access and phone service are required for daily work flow but it can become a real premium when cellular networks are not available.
As part of its ongoing response to this need, GMPCS, a global satellite communications provider, has introduced its Pipeline™ VSAT solutions and Surfer™ series of terminals for mobile satellite broadband. This new line of GMPCS solutions integrates the latest hardware and applications as well as airtime service into a turnkey package. The VSAT terminal product line includes the IP~Surfer™ maritime unit, Star*Surfer™ mobile flyaway, the S@Surfer™ vehicular series, and Net^Surfer™ fixed site terminal. Based on budget and specific bandwidth requirements, a variety of tracking, auto-acquire or manual-point antenna systems are bundled with satellite modems to provide the lowest-cost system available. Satellite IP traffic can be routed via public or secured networks using our Pipeline™ worldwide Ku- or C-band airtime service.
GMPCS can provide a custom VSAT solution regardless of industry or application type. For vehicle-based applications, rooftop auto-point antennae are available for first-response trucks. Multi-axis tracking terminals reach back to headquarters for ocean vessels. Satellite IP can be easily achieved using a fixed dish from corporate or remote sites, vehicles near catastrophe zones or from ships at sea — providing office connectivity and continuity. Within the last year, news networks such as Fox News have used the Star*Surfer™ flyaway terminals to broadcast live IP video from war-struck areas such as Afghanistan. A media-centric VSAT menu package called DiNGo™ was provided specifically for this type of “digital news gathering on the go.” Packaged in only a few cases, embedded journalists could keep a low profile and travel lightly across hostile terrain. While calling back to the studio, field users were able to edit and uplink high-definition video files or stream IP for live shots. Via GMPCS’s dedicated Pipeline™ service and Streambox® encoders, standard-definition broadcasts were achieved at less than 2.5Mbps, a first for a “Geraldo At Large” primetime embed.
