Phone Cards

Sasken Communication Technologies Ltd, a global provider of software and support services for the communication industry, has reported that IsatPhone Pro, a handheld satellite phone developed by Sasken for Inmarsat, the leader in global mobile satellite communications services, has completed its first call from Hawaii and is set for a planned global launch in June 2010, the company said in a regulatory filing.

“One of the most important elements of the IsatPhone Pro development has been the R&D, and Sasken has successfully delivered on all key milestones in the last 13 months of this engagement,” said Helen Stalker, commercial director of Global Satellite Phone Services at Inmarsat. “We are all looking forward to the phone’s launch planned for June,” she added.

Sasken is responsible for end-to-end development of the IsatPhone Pro satellite phone, which has been made possible through its multi-site capabilities and centres of excellence in India, Finland and Germany. Last year around this time, we announced the partnership with Inmarsat to bring its global handheld satellite phone to the market. This year, they are all set to deliver on that promise.

This is the first of Inmarsat's 4th generation satellite fleet, was launched in March 2005 and subsequently went into service over the Indian Ocean. This fleet includes two latest generation satellites, the Inmarsat-4s (I-4s), which were launched in 2005. Together, they provide coverage to around 85 per cent of the world's landmass and 98 per cent of the world's population. That dish antenna is 9 meters across, the array of solar panels extend 45 meters. The flap at far left is a "sail", able to "harness pressure exerted by particles from the Sun - the solar wind - to steer the I-4 and fine-tune its orbital position". This bird is already improving existing Inmarsat service in its planet print, and shows its stuff in terms of high speed data.

The total fleet now comprises 10 satellites. The I-4s set a new benchmark for mobile satellite communications in terms of their power, capacity and flexibility. One I-4 satellite is 60 times more powerful than an Inmarsat-3, and the I-4 fleet is expected to have a commercial life until around 2020.