Aimed at Military, Security and Emergency Services Users

Inmarsat Global Government has unveiled BGAN  Patrol, the world’s first BGAN terminal designed for use on foot.

Featuring the Hughes 9203 BGAN terminal powered by Inmarsat’s L-band ELERA satellite network, BGAN Patrol will allow military and emergency services personnel to stay connected in fast-0changing and potentially hostile environments.

The terminal has undergone extensive concept testing with government end-users in 22 nations, providing end-user feedback resulting in improved robustness and reliability on the move for mission-critical scenarios. The BGAN Patrol terminal connects to Inmarsat’s satellite network with no need for user pointing or intervention, and can integrate into a government’s existing communication systems and batteries. This means end-users no longer need to pause and deploy a static terminal to communicate – increasing agility and improving mission safety.

BGAN patrol will enable:

• Defence users to connect to on-field management systems during missions.
• Militaries for live Blue Force Tracking (BFT) to reduce the risk of friendly fire.
• Soldiers to request casualty medical evacuation.
• Emergency service agencies to communicate and coordinate personnel on the ground during a dynamic situation, for example during a natural disaster.
• Emergency service personnel to establish Mobile Ad-hoc Network (MANET) and Beyond Line of Sight (BLOS) radio networks to coordinate responses.

Users can expect speeds of up to 200 kbps via ethernet, or through the built-in multi-user Wi-Fi feature to support a group of local connections. The terminal offers reliable connectivity above 30° elevation towards the satellite, with coverage available across the much of the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Southern Asia, and the Asia Pacific region.

Todd McDonell, President, Inmarsat Global Government, commented “Everybody expects to be connected on the move today: it is a normal part of life.  It is particularly important for those who are operating in some of the harshest and most constrained environments, like those in the military, public safety, or emergency service personnel.  BGAN Patrol provides a way to connect those going into harm’s way to protect the rest of us”.