Satellite Technology Feature Article
March 15, 2010
Ray Zahab's 'Siberian Express for Water' Expedition Receives Inmarsat BGAN Mobile Broadband Satellite Service
By Nathesh, TMCnet Contributor
According to Stratos Global, Ray Zahab’s “Siberian Express for Water” expedition will receive its Inmarsat (News - Alert) BGAN mobile broadband satellite service.
Zahab and colleague Kevin Vallely are running the 400-mile (650 km) length of Siberia’s frozen Lake Baikal, the world’s largest freshwater lake and an UNESCO world heritage site, more than 10 days to raise awareness of the worldwide scarcity of clean water and inspire young people to push beyond their perceived limitations.
Beginning March 1, the two men attempted to run the 650-kilometer length of Siberia’s frozen Lake Baikal in 10 days or less. They intend to cover 60 to 70 kilometers per day, unassisted by skis or any support crew and pulling 100 pound sleds behind them – carrying food, clothing, shelter and survival gear across the world’s deepest and most mysterious freshwater lake.
The expedition team are stated to use the BGAN satellite communication device provided by Stratos (News - Alert) Global to blog, post photos, upload videos, and even stream live video conferencing into classrooms across North America, Germany and Russia, providing a unique learning experience to upwards of 10,000 students. During the expedition, students could see, speak to, and hear the pair in real-time, all the while learning about clean drinking water issues around the world.
Stratos has stated that BGAN utilizes a new generation of the most advanced communications satellites ever launched. These three Inmarsat I-4 satellites have 16 times the power and capacity of the Inmarsat I-3 satellite constellation, providing users with significantly enhanced performance and capability. With BGAN, users can set up a mobile office in just minutes.
Stratos President and CEO Jim Parm has commented that this informative expedition is a dramatic demonstration of BGAN’s ability to provide reliable broadband connectivity in very harsh, remote environments. By streaming live video from Siberia, Zahab and Vallely are imparting valuable lessons to students in a very entertaining manner.
Nathesh is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of Nathesh's articles, please visit his columnist page.
Edited by Marisa Torrieri
