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International Satellite Services, Inc. (ISS) is based in Southwest Florida. Since our inception in 1995 ISS has been providing alternative, private and independent world telecommunications solutions for business and residential use throughout the globe. We represent all of the major L Band Satellite Constellations including Iridium, Inmarsat, Thuraya, and Lightsquared (MSAT).

As competition continues to drive down the cost of satellite communications equipment and service, technological advancements throughout the industry have greatly improved the features and quality of service available. Many people do not realize that a complete satellite communications system, providing virtually the same features that conventional telephone service offers, can now be installed in a home or office for a fraction of what the same system cost just a few years ago. Portable configurations are available for considerably less. Total air time charges for calls worldwide average far less than $1.00 per minute, again, just a fraction of what they were just a few years ago. We have even lower rates available for high volume customers.

Satellite communication equipment provides worldwide access and operates independently from any local telephone system as they transmit directly from your terminal to the satellite. ISS service is simple. You dial direct and your callers dial direct. Because it is digital you have complete privacy and excellent quality of transmission.

This is not a “cellular phone”, “radio phone” or a “push to talk” system. It is a full duplex system that operates like an ordinary telephone. All of our products are “data capable” so they can be used for e-mail, accessing the Internet, transmitting scanned data, faxing, etc. They can even work through your PBX, providing access to the satellite telephone from any conventional telephone handset in your office. Our Satellite Dispatch Radio service allows multiple satellite telephone users to communicate with each other throughout the Northern hemisphere via personalized “talk groups”. One reasonable monthly flat fee gives you unlimited airtime. We have units designed for marine, land mobile and fixed site installation(live links). We even offer a portable telephone small enough to hang on your belt. The largest configuration, the fixed site unit, including the antenna is still compact enough to fit in a suitcase.

ISS is uniquely positioned in the industry to offer competitive prices on fully digital satellite communications equipment and service. It is simply the most affordable satellite service available.

The BGAN Service is the only mobile satellite solution to offer simultaneous broadband data and voice through a single transportable terminal that offers connectivity from virtually anywhere on the planet. The BGAN service is also the first functionality to offer guaranteed data rates on demand for live video streaming and videoconferencing. BGAN terminal accessories allow for use indoors and outdoors.

Models may vary in terms of degree of ruggedization, however most are robust enough to withstand challenging environments and extremes of temperature that exist in Mining…as an example. There are also several mobile highly ruggedized vehicular BGAN terminals which are equipped with an omni-directional muti-axis antenna, allowing for signal consistency while tracking in a vehicle.

Let’s use the Mining Industry again in our example of what the BGAN Service can offer. There is virtually an unlimited opportunity for implementation of the Inmarsat BGAN technology in the mining industry. Never before has mobile satellite services functionality been able to offer such a potent combination of instant, remote simultaneous voice and high-speed data connectivity using such a compact, cost effective, ruggedized terminal AND offering it in a “plug and play” configuration.

BGAN allows you to send test data, monitor equipment performance, transmit images and video immediately from remote location sites to base operations. Off site expert analysis of the real time data will result in increased productivity by minimizing downtime through anticipating problems and resolving them before they materialize in the form of equipment breakdowns. All phases of the mining cycle will benefit from more efficient operations and reduced costs by using BGAN, from mineral exploration to site establishment, site construction, security, operation and even closure phases of a mine.

CLA SatCom, LTD. (Caribbean Latin America) was founded in early 1995 for the primary purpose of promoting the business of mobile satellite communications throughout the Caribbean and Central America. At that time, the principals of the company were maintaining an effective means of communicating with family and business interests throughout North America and the rest of the world.

The founders immediately discovered a strong market in this region of the world due to a variety of reasons. In many rural and remote areas there is no alternative to satellite communications. Land line telephones did not exist and plans for them being installed were not in the near future. Even in some metropolitan areas one could wait a year or more just for an available telephone line. In other areas, even where there was available telephone service, it was unreliable and/or very expensive, particulary calling internationally.

There was no way to anticipate the tremendous reception that was received in virtually every country from Mexico to Panama relative to this new mobile satellite communications technology. Customers begot more customers and soon the founders were unable to manage the business from the remote regions of Honduras. An available infrastructure which would support this ever increasing volume of business, was sorely needed. Advertising efforts were expanding to include South America and the Eastern Carribean, as well as the remote areas of Canada and Alaska. Coordinating the increased volume of customer inquiries from these regions became more difficult from a third world environment. The internet based portion of the business began growing exponentially. Express mail services became essential. Shipping of products and coordination of customs and duties issues grew more and more complex. Somewhat reluctantly, but eagerly anticipating expanding the business, CLA SatCom moved it’s base of operations from Roatan, Honduras to Southwest Florida in June 1997.

Already supporting a strong customer base throughout Central America, the Caribbean and the remote reaches of Canada and Alaska, CLA SatCom began looking for additional satellite communications products which would allow expanding into markets abroad feasbile. International Satellite Services, Inc (ISS) was created for the express purpose of broadening name recognition into these overseas markets as well as providing the vehicle to expand the satellite telephone rental operations in place at the time.

In the Spring of 1998, with the addition of the NERA line of Inmarsat compatible products, ISS gained the ability to do business anywhere in the world. An Iridium affiliation would soon follow as this was the next satellite constellation to enter the market with the introduction of the Iridium Motorola 9500 Handheld Satellite Phone.

ISS now represents all the major L Band Satellite Constellations (Inmarsat, MSAT Satellite, Thuraya, and Iridium) The business of choosing a mobile satellite communications device is no longer a question of spending many thousands of dollars to purchase the one terminal available to everyone. Rather it has become a far more affordable issue economically, albeit considerably more complex in terms of the myriad of product configurations, air time rate plans, satellite constellations and geographic limitations which now must figure into any buying decision.

How do you spell happiness? “Satellite Phone”

Still wearing a radiation detection badge on his lapel, a television correspondent recently had some very important news to convey to a very worried woman in the United States. “This is Bill Weir with ABC News”, he said. “I’m actually in northern Japan right now, and I just saw your sister Elsa and she’s O.K., and she wanted you to know that, and that she loves you.”

The camera panned to NBC News correspondent, Ann Curry, anxiously showing quake survivors a picture of a missing American teacher, Canon Purdy. Later, Ms. Curry hit gold. “I found your sister,” she announced over a satellite phone in front of the rescue center where the teacher had sought refuge. “Here she is.” As Ms Curry handed the satellite phone to Ms. Purdy, the television went to split screen, showing the teacher crying into the sat phone on one half and her equally weepy and overjoyed relatives who were being recorded by a camera crew in San Francisco on the other half.

Car accidents… childbirths… grass fires… heart attacks… sports injuries—Miami-Dade Fire Rescue deals with hundreds of such events everyday while serving some 2.1 million people spread over almost 2000 square miles in Florida.

And if that activity isn’t enough to keep the department busy, when hurricanes, earth quakes, floods, volcano eruptions, or air crashes occur around the world, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue’s Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) team may be called into action.

One of only two U.S. Fire-Rescue organizations that support the government’s international emergency disaster relief efforts, the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue USAR team includes rescue specialists, structural engineers, K-9 unit handlers, hazardous material experts, medical personnel, and logistics staff. “All these people have to be supported,” says Firefighter Justin Wasilkowski of the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Tactical Communications Group (T-Comm).

“Without communications, we don’t go anywhere.” For this reason, T-Comm uses satellite dispatch radio and voice service from Lightsquared (formerly Mobile Satellite Ventures). When disaster strikes, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue can rely on its Lightsquared service to support search and rescue efforts. “It would be virtually impossible to do what we do without satellite phones,” says Firefighter Wasilkowski. “We need contact with the outside world, and often we can’t depend on cellular coverage.”

Where cell phones fail, Satellite Communications shines

By their nature, disasters often cripple communications systems, leaving rescuers scrambling to manage relief efforts. Such was the case in October 1995 when hurricane Opal and its 155-mile-per-hour peak winds pounded the Florida panhandle. Called in to deal with the storm’s aftermath, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue personnel found that the hurricane had toppled phone lines and knocked out cellular systems, making conventional communication difficult, if not impossible. “Our guys were able to keep in touch by the G2 Mobile Satellite Radio all the way to the disaster area,” says Firefighter Wasilkowski,” and provide updates about the situation and coordinate relief efforts when they got there.

” If a disaster doesn’t wipe out the telephones and cellular networks, rescue teams face yet another communications obstacle: cell-phone overload. This situation ocurred when a Fine Air DC-8 cargo plane crashed at the Miami International airport—perhaps one of the most cellular-intensive locations in the state. Within minutes of the crash, all cell phone lines in the area were jammed.

“The only reliable communication was our dispatch satellite radio and voice service,” says Firefighter Wasilkowski. “We set up the briefcase phones on the hood of one of our vehicles and had people from various agencies lining up to call.” Sometimes disasters occur in areas with little or no cell phone coverage, another situation when the dispatch satellite radios prove their worth. When a ValuJet crashed in the Florida Everglades, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue relied on MSV dispatch radio and voice service again. “There is very little cellular coverage in the Everglades,” says Firefighter Wasilkowski. “But by using the Lightsquared service we were able to communicate instantly from the crash site.”

Reliability in challenging environments

Covering an expansive area is one thing; covering it dependably is another—and Lightsquared has never let Miami-Dade Fire Rescue down. “The reliability has been very good,” says Firefighter Wasilkowski. “We’ve never had a problem getting a phone line. And the connections are robust. I’ve driven under long overpasses without losing contact, which says a lot because other satellite services won’t do that.”

In addition, T-Comm uses the Lightsquared service to send and receive email and files from laptop computers. “The phone’s great,” says Firefighter Wasilkowski, ‘but when somebody wants a hard copy, it’s easy to transmit a page by satellite.”

Seeking the benefit of his experience, emergency response organizations and other USAR teams throughout the U.S. often invite Firefighter Wasilkowski to give lectures to their departments. Many times people ask him about what type of communications system to get.

“I tell them that cell phones are going to be dead five minutes after the disaster happens,” he says. “Cell phones give you a false sense of security. Rescue teams need another way to do it. We’ve used satellite dispatch radio and voice service from its beginning, and we’ve been happy with it. I strongly recommend Mobile Satellite Communications as a solution for long-term and long-range communications.”

DigiGone, your “secure” solution for low bandwidth connections via mobile satellite communications.

Does your Mobile Satellite Communication bandwidth require a secure solution? More and more Inmarsat BGAN Service customers are discovering the secrets of Diginonymous’ range of DigiGon solutions. Recently we spoke with George Spohn, one of the firm’s key players, to find out why the company is attracting so much attention.

In order to appreciate the features of DigiGone one must first know something about its founder. Mike Dunleavy served with the United State Air force, going on to become a Special Agent for the Office of Special Investigation. He then moved to the Air Force Reserve, became a lieutenant in the police force supervising technical surveillance teams and law enforcement operations. After seeing active duty following 9/11, Mike retired from the Air Force Reserve and applied his skills to forming two companies dealing with the protection of people, property and information.

Born of the frustration of not being able to find secure communications that met his needs, Dunleavy decided to set up a company and create his own secure communication capability. In 2007 he founded Diginonymous. He brought together the talents of several fellow retired counter intelligence and counter espionage agents and hired a team of software engineers. They created the DigiGone range of encrypted and anonymous satellite internet browsing and mobile satellite communication solutions.

Now president of the Diginonymous, Dunleavy approached George Spohn of Thrane & Thrane and persuaded him to become the company’s vice-president of global sales and marketing. It was the merging of these two men’s talents that proved a real turning point for the firm, because George realized that one of the biggest benefits of the DigiGone software platform is that users can control mobile satellite communication bandwidth thereby controlling their costs. “DigiGone enables users to perform a variety of tasks – from multi-party video conferencing, video streaming, texting and file transfer – at the lowest possible shared Standard IP bandwidth, allowing them to control costs,” said Spohn.

“So, for example, instead of using expensive video-conferencing technology installed in set locations, users can hold a video conference using BGAN satellite terminals linked to their laptops, setting the bandwidth at a maximum of just 60kbps. It can be set up within minutes and existing users can easily transfer the half a megabyte DigiGone software by email to new contacts with whom they wish to hold a video conference. During the video conference the solution will never exceed the 60kbps set – instead it will continually monitor the necessary bandwidth, operating at a lower one whenever possible, which in this instance might be only 40kbps.”

Every customer wants the capability to communicate from anywhere at anytime but they are all wary of the cost. When it comes to cost, the most significant variable to control is bandwidth cost. “This is where DigiGone can play a key role because it allows users to control both the costs and the quality of transmissions”, says Spohn.

Other DigiGone solutions also include:

DigiGone Mobile Chat – which allows executives travelling on ships, yachts or business jets equipped with Inmarsat services to communicate securely with anyone in the world using the wi-fi on their Microsoft Windows-based smartphones.

Secure Identity Software – an add-on capability to DigiGone PC chat software which gives users the ability to surf the web anonymously, encrypt and decrypt files and folders, wipe files and folders and perform remotely encrypted back-ups and store encrypted files.

“Our sales have grown by 50 per cent year-on-year – mostly through Inmarsat partners who are distributing the solutions to customers and resellers, and we are keen to hear from others who are interested in the DigiGone range,” said Spohn. “We have put together brochures and presentations for a total of 23 different markets for DigiGone solutions – including some totally new to mobile satellite communications.”

DEADLIEST CATCH Captain Sig Hansen can’t say enough good things about the Thrane & Thrane Fleetbroadband 500 marine satellite services terminal currently operational on his 126 foot crabber, the Northwestern. Risking life and limb working the treacherous and unpredictable waters of the Bearing Sea, Captain Hansen and his crew rely on the revolutionary technology afforded by the Fleetbroadband 500 marine satellite services terminal to find and catch king and snow crabs faster, stay in touch with family and friends and, perhaps most importantly, keep them out of harms way. “If I had to go back to fishing without Fleetbroadband I’d feel like I was taking 10 steps back – life would be pretty tough,” says Captain Sig.

The Northwestern can carry up to 90,720kg (200,000lb) of crab worth more than $1 million US dollars. The FBB500 allows the crew to maximize their time at sea by providing them with “real time” access to online weather forecasts for the Bering Sea, which lies west of Alaska and just south of the Arctic Circle. “It can be flat calm one minute and then blowing 50 or 60 knots the next. I’ve seen waves up to 21m (70 feet) and that can be terrifying,” says Sig. “If you have a great distance to travel to get to safety in that kind of weather every second counts, so you need to know the weather forecast as soon as possible.”

The Fleetbroadband 500 has given Sig a unique and valuable advantage over competitors too – the ability to constantly keep in touch with buyers. In the old days (prior to the FBB500) Captain Sig would head for whichever port was offering the best price. Some processors have now started accepting deliveries “at sea” so Sig uses the satellite service to keep tabs on these buyers to ensure he reaches them before his competitors do.

Crab fishing is incredibly dangerous and it’s not unusual for seafarers to get injured as they wrestle with 363kg (800lb) steel crab pots or cut themselves on the knives they use. He’s glad to have the satellite technology aboard as a reliable channel for medical advice when there’s an emergency too. “If necessary, I can do a videoconference and show the doctor the injury. He can actually see the wound and tell us what to do,” says Sig.

When members of the crew are off-duty, Fleetbroadband performs another vital role. It helps lift the morale of the six-man crew by enabling them to phone home, or interface their laptops to the vessel’s wi-fi network to send emails or use the internet.

For the third time the organizers of the Volvo Ocean Round the World Race, the world’s most prestigious yacht race, have again selected Inmarsat Services to deliver essential satellite voice and data connectivity, broadcast quality HDTV and rich multi-media content necessary to relay all the action and drama to millions of fans across the globe. As an official Race Partner, Inmarsat Services will be responsible for key elements of the contest, including but not limited to, GPS position reporting of the yachts and safety communications, as well as supporting crew morale by enabling them to stay connected with friends and family via voice and email.

Starting in early November 2011 from Alicante, Spain the race is anticipated to take 9 months covering more than 39,000 miles, concluding in Galway, Ireland the following July. Each yacht will have a specialist non-sailing media crew member (MCM) whose specific responsibility will be to beam pertinent vessel and crew data to race HQ via the Inmarsat marine satellite services Fleet Broadband terminal on board. Due to this state of the art real time availability of information the coming race is expected to be the most keenly and closely watched in its history.

The MCMs are already training for the race having recently visited Inmarsat’s network operations and satellite control centers where they witnessed live demonstrations of how their video, photographic and email reports will be delivered. “This was the first time the MCMs had ever visited Inmarsat and they really gained an understanding of how the company works and the breadth of the services it offers,” said Mark Covell, an MCM for Team Russia in the last Volvo Ocean Race, who accompanied the new intake around Inmarsat. “With seven months to go before the race starts, it was a great opportunity for everyone to begin to gain a thorough understanding of just what they can deliver using FleetBroadband. This visit, together with extensive training and preparation, will help them unleash the full power of the service to bring the very latest drama and excitement of the race to a global audience,” Mark went on to say.

Knut Frostad, chief executive officer of the Volvo Ocean Race, said: “FleetBroadband has proved it can deliver a flawless performance in tough conditions and that is absolutely essential for us. We need to be able to get reliable and high quality material off the boats and deliver it to the world with immediacy. You could say that the DNA of the Volvo Ocean Race is really based around moving images. And to be able to transmit these images from the boats is core to our communication and story building around the race. In many ways, Inmarsat’s FleetBroadBand has revolutionized the sport of offshore sailing. And by enabling us to be so connected to the boats, we can monitor those 24 hours a day from our Control Room in Alicante. This is crucial for our safety procedures and the onboard safety equipment is a vital tool for the crew in emergency situations.”

Each70 foot Volvo Open racing yacht will be equipped with a Thrane & Thrane Sailor FleetBroadband 500 terminal capable of providing voice and high-speed data communications. Also onboard will be the smaller more compact version Thrane & Thrane Sailor FleetBroadband 150. The 150 will be used exclusively for crew voice calling and IP data.

Each vessel will also be fitted with two Sailor Mini-C systems which will provide constant positioning data and global safety communications. For the first time ever the race will have the opportunity to use Inmarsat’s new global handheld satellite phone, IsatPhone Pro, which will be included in the boats’ safety kit.

The leading provider of worldwide mobile satellite communications services, Inmarsat, just announced the availability of a data service on the iSatPhone Pro satellite phone. This new circuit switched data enhancement will now support data rates up to 20kbps.

“IsatPhone Pro is ideally suited for use as a data service,” said Drew Brandy, Director of Land Services at Inmarsat. “The handset design means the IsatPhone Pro satellite phone can be simply placed on its side with the antenna extended for connection to the satellite while a micro USB cable connects it to a PC.

“We are very pleased with the performance of IsatPhone Pro’s data capability. It is proving to be very robust whether using generic or customised applications. In testing we have actually exceeded 20kbps throughput with plain text email on several occasions. It’s ideal for those people wanting to access emails, jpegs, documents or PDFs,” he said.

“IsatPhone Pro Satellite Phone has achieved a great deal since it was launched barely nine months ago: winning an award for innovation, gathering fantastic reviews and being used in every single country in which satellite communications is authorised,” said Drew. “But, as today’s announcement shows, we don’t stop looking for ways to enhance the service for our end users. We expect this new data capability to be very well received.”

The BGAN service provides a remote solution in the Andes for a new prototype body sensor for use in high altitude environments. This data was transmitted via BGAN back to a location in France. This evaluation went on for 3 weeks as these sensors were put to the test on the summit of Mount Aconcagua in the Andes Cordillera, Argentina.

These new body sensors are manufactured by BodySens in Nimes and were tested by French climbers Valerie Miouze, Catrine Millier, Christophe Augier, Pascal Siedel and Marc Batard who reached the summit of Aconcagua summit at 22,841ft on February 18th. The BGAN service was used during their sojourn to report both scientific data from the sensor being worn and to provide information to the French media.

The climbers kept these small wireless Active Protection Personal Instruments in the hoods of their coats. The device measured heart rate, blood oxygen levels and the locations of the climbers. BodySens is also proud to have recorded the highest altitude electrocardiogram (ECG) ever taken on land during the climb using a small device called EPI Life which can be held in the palm of a hand.

Team Project manager Anthony Mazeau said the expedition had many radio, TV and web media partners to communicate with in addition to transmitting back to BodySens.

“They ran a full range of experiments on the human body’s response to altitude,” explained Anthony.

“They were helping BodySens develop sensors able to record and store the data, which included measurements on lung function (spirometry), heart rate (during exertion and when resting), arterial blood pressure and muscle volume loss due to altitude.”

A BGAN Explorer 700 was supplied for the expedition to transmit the data along with a solar charger to power the mobile satellite system. Anthony added: “The choice of the BGAN service ensured that lightweight, robust and compact equipment could be used with relatively inexpensive airtime, which was an important part of the original brief.”