NAB: Inmarsat to Boost SNG Speeds

Complete Coverage:NAB Show 2013

During 2013 NAB, Inmarsat will unveil Cobham SATCOM's
Explorer 710 terminal. This will be the first terminal capable of accessing
Inmarsat's new high data rate service (HDR), which will offer media
organizations and broadcasters significantly increased streaming rates for
higher quality video newsgathering.

The news is notable because it highlights some of the
important changes that in improved speeds and bandwidth for portable satellite
newsgathering solutions.

When the BGAN HDR launches in the third quarter of 2013, the
highly portable Explorer 710 terminal is expected to have a streaming rate of
around 650kbps, much faster than the 384kbps currently offered.

"This will have a big impact on newsgathering," noted
Martin Turner, Inmarsat's media business director in an interview. "It opens up
new possibilities in terms of video quality and the way you work when trying to
gather material."

Turner also noted that the terminal features a built-in
bonding capability so that users could hook two of them together to get
connection speeds over 1 Mbps, which was previously only possible on a VSAT
uplink.