Stratos Global Corp. has begun offering Inmarsat BGAN (Broadband Global Area Network) service in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Coverage is scheduled to be extended to North and South America in the second quarter of 2006.
In addition, in early 2006, Stratos expects to further expand its geographic presence and customer base with the acquisition of Netherlands- based Xantic B.V. The combination of Stratos' market-leading presence in the government, military, energy and leasing sectors, combined with Xantic's position as the number one provider to the maritime and carrier sectors, will give the combined business an unmatched presence in the key markets for mobile satellite services, including BGAN.
Using satellite terminals about the size of small laptop PCs, BGAN offers IP data speeds of up to 492 kbps, with the option of guaranteed data rates up to 256 kbps. The service is designed for mobile users who need dependable, secure broadband access in locations with an unreliable or non-existent telecommunications infrastructure.
A fully functional BGAN broadband mobile office can be set up and shut down in minutes, without special technical expertise. The smallest BGAN terminal weighs less than one kilo and full-featured terminals provide both streaming IP and background IP data options, as well as WLAN capability for multi-user access.