South African satellite telephony solutions provider Satellite Communication (SatComm) - in conjunction with Canadian-based voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) provider HowzitOnline.com - has developed a VOIP product that operates via satellite.
SatComm spokesman Paul Glass says the system will be used in 145 countries around the world. In SA, it will specifically be aimed at government bodies, aid agencies, mining and exploration companies, farming and the infrastructure development and construction sectors - where personnel are based in areas with little or no telecommunications.
He explains that these sectors are being targeted as the solution is ideal for users in remote areas, where access to good-quality communication and broadband Internet is expensive, limited or unavailable.
The solution, Glass says, uses the HowzitOnline.com VOIP USB-based handset. It has an Inmarsat satellite modem to provide Internet and VOIP access in most parts of the world, at speeds of up to 144Kbps - almost three times the speed of dial-up.
He notes that this is sufficient bandwidth for VOIP, e-mail, Web-browsing, instant messaging, FTP, video/audio/text streaming, secure access through VPN or SSH, image/video transfer via any IP-enabled digital camera software and sharing of data files.
Local interest in the product has been positive, says Glass, adding several government departments are testing the units, and systems have been supplied to several mining, exploration and farming organisations.
The equipment is portable, the size of a notebook, weighs 1.7kg and is easy to set up, Glass adds.
"It does not require access to a fixed-line or cellular network and gives fast, reliable, always-on, Internet access."
Users only pay for the amount of data sent or received, rather than time spent online, and the equipment retails for $999.
"The system is Windows compatible and can be connected to either a single PC or LAN, and can be connected using USB, Ethernet or Bluetooth technology.
"The satellite-based VOIP calls cost a fraction of normal PSTN rates. For example, call charges per minute in US cents to the US are 4.25, the UK 5.04 cents per minute, Australia 5.01 cents, Canada 5.40 cents, Hong Kong 5.29 cents, China 5.58 cents and South Africa 10.04 US cents," says Glass.
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