Disqus
No, this isn’t a joke, it’s true! A British mobile satellite, approximately the size of a double-decker bus, is due to be launched in Kazakhstan. This launch completes Inmarsat’s £722mn programme to increase broadband coverage across the world.
The six tonne satellite has already been lifted into launch position at the Baikonur Cosmodrome. The take-off was previously delayed because of a fault discovered during testing.
An Inmarsat spokesman said: “The Proton M will carry the Inmarsat-4 F3 into geostationary orbit at 22,240 miles.
“Once tested and operational, it will provide satellite phone and mobile broadband services to North and South America at 98 degrees west.
“And together with its two sister satellites, already in orbit, the completed constellation will deliver full and seamless global coverage for our entire range of broadband mobile satellite services.”
This is some crazy stuff, but imagine soon the world will be carpeted in various forms of wireless broadband – I don’t know what I would do if I couldn’t update my Facebook profile whilst on the move, and now I can rely on satellite as another channel to do so!
[Via: The Press Association]
About The Author
Ben Robinson
Ben is a 10+ year veteran of the Mobile industry – starting his career when SMS was a still a relatively new concept for most people (!), he has now consulted on everything from bleeding-edge Mobile content, to the next-gen accessories you might view it on. As a result he has a broad and deep knowledge in numerous areas of Mobile – from network operators to device vendors, to infrastructure and middleware vendors (not to mention content delivery) – and has worked for companies in all of these areas! He is based in the UK, a hotbed of activity for mobile, and recently became a father for the second time – as oppose to in his younger years when he was happy spend time tweaking all manner of mobile devices to 'nth' degree, he now looks for services and hardware that provide the most efficient, compact, and reliable improvements to his already manic life! It’s his opinion that Mobile solutions should be there to help to make your life better – if a particular solution (be it service or device) isn’t doing this, he believes you need to ask the very important question of why you continue to use it... His focus at IntoMobile is mainly on Mobile content, services, and infrastructure, particularly as regards the UK market – and with the occasional look at devices. Additionally, using his extensive experience in the industry, he will provide commentary on the industry at large, with regular (and hopefully thought-provoking) articles.
-
Snidely
