BGAN Satellite Uplink

BGAN provides a shared internet connection and phone service.

COST: $2300 + $37/month + from HumanEdgeTech

Video Explaining Immarsat BGAN

Buying

Buying a BGAN terminal is pretty expensive. A BGAN Terminal costs $2300-$3000. Regional BGAN terminals that work only outside North America cost as little as $500.

Renting

Renting is economical if you need satellite access for only a short time such as for an event.

COST: $159/wk, $510/month, Internet $6.40/MB, Voice $1.25/min, Streaming $19.90/min

Set Up

Setting up a BGAN Terminal can be tricky. Be sure to practice

Line of sight must be established with the sky

Angle must be oriented towards the sky in the direction indicated by the

Sharing

Satellites At Burning Man

Satellite Internet is excellent for communications at remote locales like Burning Man .

Conserving Bandwidth

Satellite Internet costs a lot, so the more you conserve bandwidth usagea the better. Old-fashioned modem-era tricks like turning off View Images can save you a lot of money.

Satellite Phones

http://www.orbitresearch.co.uk/docs/mini-m.html

Links

Satellite Internet in Wikipedia

DOSPEC Testing

LXPK tested a Hughes 9201 BGAN rental at Burning Man 2006. It had some software problems at first but it worked and provided stable internet for Burners to communicate to the Black Rock Desert.

"Because we made the decision to use non-broadcast gear (miniDV cams, laptop computer with editing software) combined with the Regional BGAN we were the only Nashville affiliate to transmit news stories from Iraq on a daily basis. Since the system has no airtime fees and charges are based on data sent, we were able to monitor our costs. The Regional BGAN was an affordable solution that fit our needs and exceeded our expectations. In the middle of the Iraqi desert we were able to tell the stories of the men and women serving our country and beat the competition. The Regional BGAN was our link."

—Mark Martin and Dana Kaye (Embedded journalists in Iraq War 2003)