GMPCS Introduces 3BX™ Backpack Satellite Kits for Live Video Streaming from Cell-Free Areas

Pompano Beach, FL, August 06, 2010 --(PR.com)-- With hurricanes looming in the Gulf, news breaking in disaster-ravaged countries such as Haiti, and wars raging in remote theaters such as Afghanistan, the need for truly portable satellite equipment is greater now than ever for news organizations— especially when cellular or Internet networks are not available. As part of its ongoing response to this need, GMPCS, a leading global satellite communications provider, has introduced a new line of Inmarsat-based 3BX™ field kits— from handheld satellite-phones to portable satellite-Internet terminals—designed for backpack-based or vehicle-based satellite news gathering.

The 3BX™ kits represent the latest, state-of-the-art advances in portable satellite communications with optional video transmission technologies. They feature the new Inmarsat handheld satellite phone, called IsatPhone™, for day-to-day phone or IFB communications, as well as a laptop-sized BGAN™ satellite-Internet terminal. The kits easily enable most all IP-based applications such as live video streaming/conferencing, file-transfer, e-mail, and web browsing.

“Now, one person can broadcast live video and audio from nearly anywhere in the world, carrying nothing more than a backpack,” said John Stoltz, Director of Commercial Sales for GMPCS. “With our 3BX™ packages, a story can be transmitted for broadcast even when satellite trucks or cellular networks are not available. GMPCS’s major media clients use our kits nearly every day, but the 3BX™ kits are affordable for almost any organization.”

Armed simply with a DV camera, laptop or iPhone running the free, usage-charging Streambox® LIVE™ software, and with the lightweight BGAN terminal for satellite Internet, field users are able to encode, edit, and uplink archived or real-time video. When utilizing the X-Stream™ dedicated broadband service via Inmarsat, speeds of 384Kbps or higher can be achieved.

GMPCS’s backpack-sized solutions can accommodate “talking head” live broadcasting or filing pre-edited packages via FTP. For vehicle-based applications, mobile “on-to-go” Inmarsat antennae are also available. Now, IP can be achieved from moving vehicles or ships at sea, providing the same media applications for video streaming, voice or Internet access.

These IP-based satellite systems are ideal for hurricane and storm-chasing as well as disaster, war, and border-area coverage where cellular networks or satellite trucks are not available. The 3BX™ systems are the next generation of “mobile one-man uplinks,” which were part of an Emmy® award-winning solution used by CNN exclusively to cover the Lebanon (Israel-Hezbollah) Conflict a few years ago.

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