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Hughes 9201 Machine to Machine (M2M) Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN) Satellite Terminal Ideal for Oil, Mining, Gas, Water, and Utility Industries

Remote Site Management

Naples, FL. – The Hughes 9201 mobile BGAN satellite terminal is a rugged, easy to use portable satelite internet communications terminal ideal for the oil, gas, mining, water, and utility industries. This BGAN terminal is designed to withstand varying weather conditions for extended periods of time yet is small, light, and easily installed, making it an ideal solution for remote sites.

IP SCADA ready

The Hughes 9201 M2M is an excellent choice of satellite terminal for remote SCADA applications. It is easily packaged for continuous monitoring and control of remote sites such as well automation, pipeline monitoring, utility Smart Grid such as Smart Meter backhaul, distribution automation, and substation SCADA.

Oil, Gas, Water and Mining Applications

The Hughes 9201 M2M is ideal for operational well data collection such as electronic flow measurement, pressure, and custody transfer data reading.

It is also installed at natural gas sites to enable remote monitoring and control of the compressor responsible for pushing high volumes of natural gas through the pipeline transmission system.

The Hughes 9201 BGAN Satellite terminal is not only used for purposes of data collection, but also for delivering critical and time-sensitive command and control instructions to downhole systems. This increases well performance and production, saving the operator time and money and increasing the producer’s revenues due to the information provided for real-time decision making. Engineers from anywhere in the world can access the site remotely to make informed decisions on well site management.

Utility Applications

Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) Smart Meter Backhaul: Thousands of residential and business wireless smart meters send usage data back to a collector point. The collector point sends the aggregate data over the Hughes 9201-M2M to the utility’s data center. It can be deployed at utility poles to enable control of Smart Grid infrastructure such as reclosers, fault indicators, capacitor banks, etc.

Substation Communications: To dramatically enhance communication link availability at a substation, a Hughes 9201-M2M can operate as the backup path for automatic failover when the primary line fails.

Disaster Preparedness/Business Continuity Solutions: The Hughes 9201-M2M can be used for critical communications during the recovery period immediately following a catastrophic event that interrupts utility services.

It can also be connected to AMI collection points to deliver Smart Meter data from meters on residences and businesses. AMI enables readings for billing, service connections and disconnections; and consumer remote control over the Internet of lights, thermostats, and appliances, proactively reducing electricity usage costs. Utilities can manage peak loads where generation costs are high, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and helping measure and mitigate the risk of blackouts.

Mining Applications

Large and expensive assets like earth shovels in remote mining pits around the world require 24 hour monitoring to avoid potential electronic issues that can lead to any one of the thousands of components on the shovels to fail in remote locations. These issues can result in the shovels breaking down which leads to loss of productivity and thousands of dollars in lost revenue. This important real time data allows for potential problems to be detected early on eliminating loss of productivity.

About International Satellite Services, Inc.

ISSI offers satellite communications solutions over all five of the major commercial satellite constellations and is expanding and upgrading those offerings constantly. Its customer base covers the full spectrum from some the world’s largest Fortune 500 companies to our military to the vessels that service the oil and gas platforms in the Gulf of Mexico to small “mom and pop” operated fishing boats in the South Pacific.

Brazilian oilfield supply fleet taps into faster satellite communications with Fleetbroadband 250

Fleetbroadband 250 satellite terminals are providing essential high speed connectivity for a fleet of supply ships serving recently-discovered oilfields off the coast of Brazil. Oil supply ship operator Astromaritima is equipping its fleet with Fleetbroadband internet satellite services.

Reliable Satellite Communications Needed

Potentially massive oil reserves in a geological region known as the ‘pre-salt’ layer were discovered 170 miles off shore in the Atlantic in 2007. Brazilian energy company Petrobras, Astromaritima’s largest customer, plans to produce 5.7 million barrels of oil and gas a day by 2020.

Claudio Salem, IT manager for Astromaritima, said the oil companies working in the pre-salt region needed reliable and efficient satellite communications equipment to send data from vessels to base, to send email, and to make calls.

Already three of Astromaritima’s vessels have been supplied with the terminals and the long-term plan will be to install Fleetbroadband 250 (FB250) on all 18 vessels by the end of the year, to support estimated data traffic volumes of 20 megabytes per month.

Fleetbroadband for Maritime Communications

Fleetbroadband is a maritime satellite communications service providing portable satellite internet and voice simultaneously. The Fleetbroadband 250 offers data speeds of up to 284 kbps and streaming IP up to 128 kbps. With simultaneous access to satellite data, internet and voice services the supply ships will have reliable access to sea chart and online weather data, route planning and crew calling all at the same time, contributing to operational efficiency.

“We can really put into practice every control wanted on our vessels,” Astromaritima’s Salem said.

by Jon Aldrich

Mobile Satellite communication technology has evolved over the years not unlike the evolutionary progression of other technological innovation. Take computers for example. Early computers cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and required a battery of MIT graduates to operate them. They filled complete rooms, even requiring their own air conditioning systems. Only the largest of corporations employed them. Of course now, computers are small enough to fit in your pocket, can be operated by small children and are affordable by nearly everyone.

Similarly, shopping for a satellite communication terminal just 30 years ago would have required tens of thousands of dollars to purchase, the same MIT degree to operate and a couple of strong backs just to transport it. The Inmarsat constellation was your ONLY option. Just 15 years later (in 1995) Mitsubishi rolled out the first “portable” satellite terminal operating on the newly launched MSAT satellite constellation. The briefcase sized Mitsubishi ST151, eye popping at the time, weighed in at 30 pounds and cost approximately $3,500.00. While representing a significant breakthrough in satellite communications, the ST151 would dominate the portable satellite terminal market for LESS than one year.

1996 ushered in a truly revolutionary phase in personal satellite communications with the launching by Inmarsat of the mini-M terminal. Priced about the same as the ST151, the mini-M weighed in at less than 6 pounds. The laptop sized terminal would offer virtually “plug and play” data (albeit slow speed) and voice quality heretofore unmatched by any previous satellite terminal. Unlike the 151, which had a North America footprint only, the mini-M could be used virtually anywhere in the world. It would dominate the personal satellite communications market for several years as it brought satellite communications within the financial and technological reach of just about anyone.

In 1998 Iridium launched its worldwide “canopy” of 64 satellites and rolled out the first truly handheld satellite terminal. Slightly smaller than the early “bag” cellular phone, the Iridium handheld satellite phone would again revolutionize personal portable satellite communications. Just a few years later that bag sized phone would shrink to not much larger than today’s cell phones and at a cost of less than $1,000.00. Now just about anyone who had reason to travel beyond landline or cellular service has an affordable communications option.

As with the development of many industries, there have been breakthroughs and advances to satellite technology followed by failures and set backs. Not every constellation has been successful from the outset. Market projections by some companies have been overly optimistic which has lead to bankruptcies by those providers. Competition remains fierce as too many providers vie for too few customers. The industry continues to sort itself out as the strong constellations get stronger and as consolidation between providers continues to evolve. The ultimate beneficiary of all of this will be, as it always is, the consumer.

In business since 1996, International Satellite Services (ISS) is proud to represent all of the major commercial satellite constellations including MSAT, IRIDIUM, INMARSAT, THURAYA and VSAT. Regardless of whether you may need an inexpensive and simple hand held satellite phone for emergencies, two-way “flat rate” unlimited Voice via satellite Dispatch Radio or a highly sophisticated high speed data satellite solution (Fleetbroadband) for a fleet of vessels, ISS can help you.

Our customers cover the full spectrum from some the world’s largest Fortune 500 companies to our military to a small “mom and pop” operated fishing boat in the South Pacific, with almost everything imaginable in between. We are particularly proud of our growing list of satisfied customers in the oil and gas exploration, drilling sector and mining industry. We have a strong commitment to those “vertical markets” as we believe they offer huge opportunities for growth. Ask us for a list of our satisfied customers. ISS has built its reputation on treating each and every customer as if they were our ONLY customer.

Oilfields monitored remotely with Inmarsat BGAN satellite service

The world’s first large-scale SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) network based on Inmarsat’s mobile BGAN satellite service provides previously unmatched remote site management options for the oil and gas industry.

This groundbreaking BGAN SCADA network has been deployed for a major oilfield services company to monitor and control several hundred remote unmanned sites.

Inmarsat distribution partner Stratos Global and its channel partner Zedi Inc., a specialist in end-to-end management of oil and gas operations, are installing the IP-based network at the customer’s sites. The network will enable the customer to monitor and control its worldwide sites from its global operations center.

With the expanded remote site management capability made available by the network, the customer will be able to monitor critical technologies used in the oil and gas industry, such as electrical submersible pumps and downhole pressure and temperature gauges. The deployment will be expanded to include progressive cavity pumps and other upstream facilities. This network will replace the end-user’s older-generation Inmarsat GAN mobile packet data service.

Satellite BGAN ideal for remote site management

BGAN uses highly portable, lightweight terminals to provide simultaneous, high-speed IP data (up to 492 kbps) and voice connectivity anywhere in the world. BGAN satellite service is ideally suited to enable communications in areas where terrestrial or cellular networks are damaged, congested, or non-existent.

The BGAN satellite SCADA service uses the reliable Inmarsat I4 satellites operating in the L-band frequency, which are proven to withstand rain fade and other environmental factors.

Ruggedized BGAN

The network uses Addvalue’s Sabre Ranger, a ruggedized, compact BGAN terminal developed by Addvalue in partnership with Stratos and the end-user. The SABRE Ranger terminal is specifically designed for permanent fixed-site deployment and 24/7 network connectivity . It’s designed to withstand all environmental challenges associated with remote SCADA applications and to reliably transmit mission-critical data to the user’s corporate headquarters from hard-to-reach locations.

Secure portal

In this deployment, the BGAN satellite terminals are connected to the Zedi Intelligent Network, which delivers highly reliable and accurate data to the desktop via Zedi Access, a secure web portal. By using Zedi Access, the customer is able to make better-informed decisions and manage more wells.

Groundbreaking deployment

“This groundbreaking global deployment is the result of a strategic partnership between Stratos, Zedi, Addvalue and the end-user that included nearly two years of rigorous testing,” said Stratos President and CEO Jim Parm. “Before this deployment, BGAN-based SCADA networks of this scale did not exist.”

Live news of miners’ rescue relies on BGAN connectivity

The whole world has been focused on the 33 Chilean miners who were trapped underground for more than two months. Many of us who watched these events unfold via the internet and our televisions were able to do so from the pit-head via BGAN….broadband global area network – mobile satellite communications.

The BGAN Satellite System provided news teams the ability to send both live and store-and-forward video reports of the rescue operation from the mine in Chile’s remote Atacama desert – a remote location that made BGAN the perfect portable satellite internet solution.

Inmarsat was able to re-allocate spot beam capacity because of the high demand of usage amongst the various news crews on the scene.

Network Reliability

According to John Stoltz, director of media sales at GMPCS, they were confident about deployment in Chile because of how successful BGAN was in Haiti earlier in the year.

“Using our BGAN terminals and the BGAN X-Stream service, our news network clients were able to broadcast from a very remote area where satellite trucks and the internet are not readily available,” he said.

Main equipment

“It was fantastic to witness the Chilean miners’ rescue live via Inmarsat.”

Some of the networks used as many as three terminals – often with BGAN as their main equipment, John reported.

The BGAN X Stream service which was used by most of the news channels not transmitting 24 hours a day experienced 384kbps up to 450kbps data speeds while streaming the events live.

FTP site

“Typically journalists sent recorded video footage to an FTP site before doing a live report to the camera,” explained John.

“Power wasn’t much of an issue as generators and in some cases AC mains were available. If not, the BGAN’s internal battery could give at least an hour of power, which was enough to send a clip or do a live shot.”

HumaniNet, a non-profit humanitarian service provider supported RedeTV, the first 3D network in Brazil using the Inmarsat satellites.

HumaniNet’s executive director Greg Swanson said: “News and media organizations need the same level of equipment used by relief workers in emergencies to provide essential information to the outside world.

“This helps raise awareness of the disaster worldwide, leading to a better understanding of what’s needed to help victims, increased donations, and a keener interest in preparedness for future events.

“Enabling networks to broadcast quickly and completely, with on-premise audio and video services, is a win for everyone – and most of all in this case, the trapped miners.”

Satellite IP solution selected for e-logging on Spanish fishing fleets

More than 700 Spanish boats select Fleetbroadband 150 and 250 Marine Satellite Systems to electronically report fishing vessel catches as now required by the European Union.

This Inmarsat satellite broadband solution will provide transmission of data securely and cost effectively to Spain’s fishing vessels.

Following Ireland’s footsteps, Spain is one of the first EU members to adopt this type of Satellite IP solution necessary for compliance with logbook rules.

This mandatory logbook regulation was enacted in January 2010 for boats over 78ft an now include all fishing vessels over 49ft by July 2011.

This electronic reporting protocol provides details of what and how much fish each boat brings up as well as trans-shipments, landings and sales. The goal here is to mitigate illegal and unreported fishing as well as improve and maintain the world’s fish stocks.

The Spanish government provides grants up to $5,800 to these fishing companies to subsidize the cost of this program.

“The FleetBroadband service is the perfect system to meet the EU’s new fishing quota requirements according to Carlos Suarez del Villar, sitcom director at Nautical.

“However, in the long term we also aim to show fishing companies that having broadband communications on board can significantly improve their business.

“The high-speed, always-on connectivity enables them to check weather reports and charts – and even create an online marketplace where they can sell their catch before they arrive back at shore.”

The Project “VisLab Intercontinental Autonomous Challenge” led two robotic vehicles (solar powered) on an 8,000 mile journey through Eastern Europe, Russia and China without the use of human drivers. Both vehicles were equipped with BGAN Thrane Explorer 727 mobile satellite communication terminals that transmitted the trek via live satellite video. Also on board were solar powered laser scanners and seven video cameras for the purposes of detecting and avoiding obstacles. This project was funded partly by the European Research Council.

The project manager Professor Alberto Broggi of VisLab says the goal was to show that modern technology is evolved enough for deployment of non-polluting, non-oil based “robotic driven” vehicles. Live Video streaming as well as store-and-forward video, blogs and photos were sent to the VisLab website via BGAN satellite connectivity. Professor Broggi also shared “We also used BGAN for uploading the GPS position and vehicle data on to our website, to transfer short segments of code, and to make short phone calls”

The purpose of the first robotic car was to experiment with camera sensing, decision making and feasibility to manage the onboard electronic systems. The second car, without any human intervention, followed the first car’s route successfully to Shanghai where both vehicles would be showcased at the World Expo 2010

The German shipping company Vega-Reederei is outfitting their vessels with marine satellite services technology via Fleetbroadband.

So far 8 vessels have been installed by Inmarsat Distribution partner Stratos with another 8 expected in the near future.

Vega’s services include shipping operations, shipbuilding, chartering, ship disposal and financial services. They have a total fleet of 22 container vessels, nine bulkers and two tankers.

The marine satellite services fleetbroadband terminal is being utilized for internet access, email and voice communication to assure top vessel performance, business operations and productivity of the crew.

In order for headquarters personnel to manage the ship’s electronics and computers, the vessel has access to a high speed data connection for remote management and maintenance. The onboard fleetbroadband terminal is also set up with a firewall and engineers can achieve high speed, direct remote accessibility through support applications.

Down the road, the German vessel will have the option to use the satellite connection to help to reduce fuel costs and comply with emissions regulations with engine performance analysis and emissions monitoring.

Achim Tober, head of Vega’s IT department, said: “We have already enjoyed the benefits of FleetBroadband from Stratos on several of our vessels for many months and we have noticed it provides very good voice quality.

“FleetBroadband enables us to achieve fast, reliable data communications that maximize the integration and performance of many popular, IP-based applications.”

Because of this technology, onboard internet café features, such as prepaid chatting, prepaid web browsing and access to global and local news services are available in remote offshore waters.

Using LaunchPad to align and register your BGAN terminal

To achieve the best signal strength possible, you will need to position your BGAN terminal in the direction of the satellite as accurately as possible for establishing a data connection.

The quality of the service will be compromised should the antenna be pointed in the wrong position which results in a reduction of the quality of service and data rates achievable via the network.

Here are two ways to point the antenna for best results:

1) Depending on which BGAN terminal you are using there will be audio and visual indicators to aid in pointing the terminal properly.

2) Use the launchpad

Use the following steps in BGAN Launchpad to help you point the antenna correctly and to register on the network.

a. The world map available on Launchpad interface will show your given location and help in pointing the terminal:

* There will be a drop down menu on map which you must select the nearest city of your current location. Your location will be indicated by a red dot.

* Below the map is an area which will help you to choose what Satellite to point your BGAN terminal to (Americas, Asia-Pacific, EMEA).

* You can choose 1 of 2 satellites that can be accessed from your location with affiliated angles and elevation. You may find that one satellite has a stronger signal due to lack of obstructions such as trees, mountains and buildings.

b. The more the sound increases the better the signal strength. You will also be able to see visually the number of bars on the Launchpad is increasing in bars the greater the reception.

c. When the maximum signal strength is obtained, click “Register with the network now” The BGAN terminal will attempt to make a connection. You will see the following screen when the connection to the network has been successfully established.

The BGAN terminal is now ready to use with the Inmarsat network.

Isat Phone Pro Satellite phone ideal for Worldwide Crisis Deployment

Emergency communications aid agency Télécoms Sans Frontières (TSF) have adopted Inmarsat’s new handheld satellite phone for worldwide deployment in crisis zones. Currently being used in Haiti and Indonesia, in the wake of the natural disasters in those countries, the Isat Phone Pro satellite phone is being praised for it’s outstanding voice quality and worldwide coverage. The IsatPhone Pro is an integral part of three emergency telecom kits being routinely deployed by the country’s national emergency response teams as they undertake to control the deadly cholera outbreak that has hit the country following January’s devastating earthquake.

TSF teams have also extensively employed the IsatPhone Pro satellite telephone throughout Indonesia’s Mentawai Islands in the aftermath of the tsunami that claimed hundreds of lives in that country last October. The lack of telecommunications on those impoverished islands has further prompted TSF to permanently maintain their presence there, in partnership with the European Union, in order to establish an emergency response system for use in any future natural disasters.

TSF’s Myriam Annette is quoted as saying: “An additional 14 IsatPhone Pro handsets will be deployed in the next few weeks to help Indonesia’s national disaster management agency and non-governmental organizations, which are still working to help the population in the very poor Mentawai Islands. The satellite phones will be included in emergency telecoms kits also containing BGAN equipment to enable relief workers to stay connected with coordinating bodies in Padang and Jakarta.”

Annette goes on to say that “Our staff is unanimous – the service is excellent in terms of voice quality and global coverage,” noting that the TSF also plans to purchase additional quantities of IsatPhone Pro satellite telephones for allocation to its bases in France, Thailand and Nicaragua. “The IsatPhone Pro will now be systematically integrated into all our operations.”