Dubai desert hosts 'Inmarsat Mission Global - Dubai 2002'

The exciting event, the first of its kind for the region, demonstrated the full portfolio of Inmarsat voice and data services live and in the field, including for the first time the new Inmarsat Regional BGAN service which provides data services of up to 144kbit/s. Inmarsat's global senior management team, including its chief executive officer, Michael Storey, also attended the event. Storey, in a speech addressed to his guests, stressed on the primacy of global, fast and cost-effective connectivity in speeding the development of societies and businesses around the world.

The event, according to the company's regional director, Samer Halawi, demonstrated the importance of high mobility and high-speed connectivity to businesses and governments where telecom infrastructure does not exist. To achieve "Inmarsat Mission Global - Dubai 2002", teams competed on an off-road course, and scored using mobile voice and data satcoms. Halawi continued saying: "Our guests moved quickly and easily from one point of the desert to the other, assisted with a combination of satellite systems that delivered highest mobility and fastest connectivity that can be reached today from remote areas in the region." Ten four wheelers competed in a desert mapped by Inmarsat with a global positioning system that allowed the live monitoring of participants on the Internet.

"Competing cars were equipped with Inmarsat C, which allowed us to follow the fleet from a dedicated website, and via signals transmitted from Inmarsat C to our satellites." explains Halawi. Each car was also equipped with an Inmarsat mini-M, a voice system that facilitated communication between competing teams and the base camp of the event.

Inmarsat Mission Global focused heavily on the company's next generation of broadband services, Inmarsat Regional BGAN, launched a day before the event. "Regional BGAN allowed participants to solve clues by gathering information from the Internet. Being in the desert and on the move, the event demonstrated the value of a truly mobile fast data satellite communication system." Regional BGAN delivers a seamless GPRS - compatible data service using 144kbit/s shared channels and via a light satellite modem linked with a laptop or computer.

It allows users in remote locations to access to their corporate networks, connect to the Internet, to their e-mail, and to set up a Virtual Private Network (VPN) and transfer files.

Inmarsat views the Middle East and North African markets to be the most vibrant and promising markets for satellite based communications technologies. Inmarsat Mission Global, according to Halawi, translates directly into the company's firm commitment to bringing to the region leading and exciting technologies that help address and solve its social and business development needs. Halawi ended saying: "Inmarsat Mission Global - Dubai 2002 that has been successful in achieving its objectives. Inmarsat will undertake the event to the region's countries, year after year."

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