Stratos Global Corporation has deployed an Inmarsat FleetBroadband mobile satellite system to broadcast coverage of the final leg of the Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge.
The Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge 2009 is organised by Sail Training International and the American Sail Training Association. In April, more than 30 tall ships began competing in a series of races that will eventually cover more than 7000 miles including ports in Spain, Africa, Bermuda, Canada and Northern Ireland. The final leg of the race began on July 20 in Halifax and is scheduled to end in Belfast on August 13.
FleetBroadband from Stratos is being used onboard the Bark Europa (www.barkeuropa.com) to provide live and recorded reports during the race’s final leg for BBC Northern Ireland. The system is integrated with QuickLink software to enable live video streaming at speeds of 256kps. It is also utilising Stratos Dashboard to set high-usage alerts and monitor traffic usage. Stratos Trench, an online customer-managed firewall utility, is preventing unauthorised access.
Many media organisations have successfully deployed the land version of this mobile broadband satellite system, BGAN from Stratos, to deliver live and recorded news from remote regions of the world. From the initial BGAN service, the technology has been expanded into the maritime world with the launch of FleetBroadband, offering cost-effective, high-speed and voice communications – available simultaneously – at speeds up to 432kps. FleetBroadband also provides on-demand guaranteed IP data rates, regardless of the vessel’s location.
Stratos is the largest supplier of mobile satellite services to the maritime industry, with communications to more than 40,000 maritime terminals worldwide. Stratos offers a wide range of value-added services to ensure optimal FleetBroadband performance, management control and cost efficiency. Stratos President and CEO Jim Parm said: “Our work on this project represents our most recent successful deployment of Inmarsat mobile satellite services in our 10 years of service to this important, globally recognised broadcaster. FleetBroadband from Stratos is ideally suited to bring the excitement and action of this popular sailing event to a large global audience via a wide range of media.”
Stratos’ success serving the broadband communications needs of the most prestigious maritime races is well documented. Stratos is the official provider of mobile satellite services to the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09, the world’s premier offshore yachting event covering almost 37,000 nautical miles in nine months. FleetBroadband from Stratos, and other Inmarsat services, provided the communications foundation for the race – for position reporting, sending live video footage or photos of onboard action to the world’s media, safety communications, and boosting crew morale by enabling them to call and email their families back home. For the first time this year, dedicated media crew members aboard each racing yacht used FleetBroadband from Stratos to set up live videoconferences, broadcast audio, send photographs, post email blogs and transmit daily HDTV video to a worldwide audience of billions.
