Toronto-based Roadpost, a provider of global voice and data communications
solutions for the remote worker, has entered a partnership agreement with
France Telecom Mobile Satellite Communications to provide BGAN (broadband
global area network) services to North American customers. This represents one
of the first agreements with a North American supplier to bring the new
portable satellite technology to the business, government and consumer markets.
Inmarsat's BGAN is the world's first mobile communications service of any kind
to provide both voice and broadband data simultaneously through a single,
portable device on a global basis. BGAN will be initially accessible in Europe,
Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Coverage for North and South America is
planned for mid-2006. BGAN terminal costs start at $3,295 (CDN) and are priced
based on data transmission speeds and robustness. Terminals are available for
single users or small teams, and can be configured to accommodate Wi-Fi,
Bluetooth, ethernet and more. Price plans for subscription services will
include a monthly fee, plus per minute and per megabyte charges for
transmission of voice and data.