Posted by
John Dark on Wed, Jun 19, 2013 @ 08:11 AM
Satellite phone expert outlines ways to achieve affordable satellite broadband service at sea. New guide helps mariners navigate satellite broadband Internet hardware and airtime options.
MARYVILLE, TN June 17, 2013 – Global Marine Networks (GMN) the leaders in advancing satellite data speeds and services, today announced the release of a new white paper, "
.” The document gives a concise summary of broadband satellite hardware, airtime, data service options and issues, with an emphasis on affordable pricing for mariners.
With mobile satellite service providers offering new rate plans and hardware options, mariners are finding satellite broadband Internet service can be the most affordable way to access email, web browsing, weather and social media services on the water: up to 90% less per megabyte than handheld satellite phone options.
“Before, high-speed Internet at sea was restricted to large commercial vessels due to size and pricing,” said Dr. Luis Soltero, CTO of Global Marine Networks. “Now, smaller fishing vessels, recreational sailors, cruisers, salt-water sportsmen and yacht owners are finding it’s a better deal to buy a satellite broadband terminal than handheld satellite phones. Not only can sailors get much faster data than before, but the savings in airtime for both voice and data are quite dramatic.”
“
” includes:
- Satellite Service Pricing Comparisons
- Airtime Rate Summaries
- Case Studies for Casual Cruisers, Live Aboard/Work Aboard and Home Schooling Users
- Sample Equipment Setups
- Data Optimization – Faster, Cheaper and Better
Satellite systems comparisons include pricing and hardware options for Iridium Handheld phones (9555/Extreme), Iridium Pilot, and Inmarsat FleetBroadband.
The guide is available immediately at http://web.globalmarinenet.com/affordable-satellite-broadband-for-cruisers .
About Global Marine Networks, LLC
Global Marine Networks (GMN), the leaders in advancing satellite data speeds and services, helps Fixed and Mobile Satellite Services providers and their customers by offering the industry’s fastest, most reliable and easy-to-use email, web, and other hardware and software services to maritime, oil and gas, first responder and business continuity users. The company’s products include XGate high-speed satellite email, WeatherNet weather and oceanographic data software, and vessel tracking systems.
Ship to shore network management solutions are sold by GMN under the RedPort Global brand name at www.redportglobal.com and as white-label solutions for the world’s premier satellite data service providers.
GMN has numerous awards and certifications for technical innovation and holds pending patents on its products. For more information on how GMN is Making Airtime Count™ – whether ship to shore, or in remote or emergency communications environments, visit www.globalmarinenet.com.
Let’s say you’ve done your calculations on your airtime down to the pennies. You’ve calculated transfer rates. You know how much you pay for airtime. So you think that sending an 15 kb email (with compression) over your Iridium 9555 will take two seconds and, therefore (at $1.44 a minute), cost you five cents.
So you would be surprised when you find out that that email would actually cost forty cents.
Where’s the airtime billing difference coming from?
Minimum billing increments: gobbling up airtime behind your back.
Minimum billing increments refer to how your satellite airtime use is calculated. Instead of simply counting up seconds and kilobytes by exactly how many you use (say, charging you for 32 seconds of voice airtime if you talk for 32 seconds) airtime is calculated in chunks of time, even if you don’t end up using all the airtime in the chunk you’re being charged for.
Every carrier has them, so unless you opt for a broadband unit like the Iridium Pilot, you’ll end up calculating them into your costs. Iridium, for example, has a 20 second minimum billing increment for voice or data. An average Iridium minute for a handheld unit like the 9555 or the 9575 is $1.44, so each billing increment is $0.48.
Taking into consideration the minimum billing increments, a phone call over an Iridium handheld that lasts 20 seconds will cost $0.48, but a call that lasts 21 seconds will cost $0.96.
That’s an expensive extra second.
Inmarsat’s IsatPhone Pro has a 15 second increment for voice, with a minimum billing amount of 30 seconds. (And make sure you count in the full minute it takes to connect).
Globalstar has a fairly reasonable data minimum billing increment of 15 seconds (great for email checks, especially since Globalstar generally has a very fast connection speed). Its minimum billing increment for voice is rough, though: a whole minute minimum and 30 seconds thereafter.
Even broadband units aren't immune. Inmarsat FleetBroadband, for example, has a 30 second minimum voice charge, and 15 second increments thereafter. For data, it has a 50 kb charge to connect, and a 50 kb charge to disconnect. After the FleetBroadband is on, data is charged in 10 kb increments.
The FleetBroadband data connection costs could be nearly completely mitigated by simply keeping the system on all the time (which is what the Iridium Pilot does). Many people don’t do that, however, because they’re afraid of running up their airtime bills if their laptop decides to update automatically (which is why we highly recommend Optimizer - it completely blocks all unwanted traffic over your satellite feed).
Iridium Pilot Has No Minimum Billing Increment for Data
One of the reasons we were so excited about the Iridium Pilot is that the Pilot
doesn’t have a minimum billing increment for data. And while it still counts in the typical Iridium billing increments for voice, there aren’t the connection times to pay for (since the unit is always connected). There are no connection costs, no minimum billing increments for data - you just pay for what you use. It’s simple, clear, and fair. Check out our
dedicated page on the Iridium Pilotfor more information.
Unless you go with the Pilot (or finagle your FleetBroadband), you’ll be dealing with billing increments, so it’s good to keep them in the back of your mind when comparing carriers and phones. Billing increments are rough on satellite airtime bills, and we feel your pain. Until the day they disappear completely (and we may be seeing the end, given Iridium's new data billing with the Pilot), we'll let you know which pitfalls to look for and how to get the best deals for your satellite airtime bill.
In the summer of 2012, Iridium released its redesigned OpenPort broadband unit (now called the Pilot), Inmarsat juggled around its pricing structure for its FleetBroadband service, and we realized that for the first time in the history of the maritime satellite industry, satellite broadband was within the financial reach of most maritime cruisers.
Because after crunching numbers, comparing plans, and looking at usage rates we saw that broadband satellite units offered some of the cheapest data and airtime costs around.
And not just cheap, but really cheap. At a conservative estimate, at least ten times less expensive than a handheld device like an Iridium 9555 or 9575 for similar usage. For an initial higher upfront cost, the savings from voice and data services multiply. The savings flow like the hull over a smooth sea.
We realize that many people don't even consider a broadband unit for their communication needs while cruising. Broadband satellite has long been known for dishes the size of cars, installation necessitating crews of people, and data costs that run in the tens of thousands per month.
But with units like the Iridium Pilot, the power, speed, and ease-of-use associated with high-end broadband units is now possible for individual cruisers.
It’s certain that satellite broadband, like so much in the satellite industry, is confusing, complicated, and about as straightforward as driving in Rome.
So we broke it all down, shook out our number crunching and comparisons, and put it all together in an easy-to-read guide.
An ultimate guide.
, in fact.
Check it out and let us know what you think. We're pretty thrilled about satellite broadband, and we think you'll be too, especially when you see just how much money is saved on data and voice.
Hear what a multi year, multi trip live aboard cruiser has to say about his family's experience with the Iridium OpenPort (now Iridium Pilot) broadband satellite device for homeschooling, business and emergency connections at sea.
Magnus Murphy reveals how the Iridium Pilot with XGate Satellite Email and XWeb compression services allowed his two daughters to successfully homeschool while he negotiated a sabattical to publish a medical book that was completed via this technology.
Learn the real truth about using WiFi at anchor in remote locations while jockeying for positions with other cruisers. Hear his take on ease of installation, reasonable airtime costs, web browsing at sea, impact on saftey, and most importantly the long term reduction of anxiety associated with instant connection in times of need. Listen to Magnus Murphy now!
For an in-depth look at satellite broadband options for cruisers, feel free to check out
. It contains tons of information regarding the Iridium Pilot, cost comparisons between broadband units, and savings estimations for typical use.
Additionally you may want to take a look at the Iridium Pilot Blue Water Package for $1,252 of immediate savings and 1000 minutes of free prepaid voice airtime.
Have a comment? Let us know about something you learned that was helpful.
Fair Winds,
Kim
Inmarsat has annouced a CRITICAL firmware upgrade (release 1.16) for the following Thrane & Thrane/Cobham terminals:
- Sailor 150
- Sailor 250
- Sailor 500
- Explorer 325
- Explorer 727
Firmware version 1.16 is released and available for download from the Inmarsat website at:
http://www.inmarsat.com/support/FleetBroadband
and
http://www.inmarsat.com/support/BGAN
This new firmware upgrade is required due to the FleetBroadband Multi-voice service and network enhancement.
After June 1, 2013, terminals that are not upgraded to version 1.16 will be unable to receive calls on the IP handset.
Only terminals using the Thrane and Throne/Cobham IP handset will be affected. Terminals with a standard two wire handset will continue to work as normal.
Further information on this release can be found in this Thrane & Thrane Technical Bulletin.
About Global Marine Networks, LLC
Global Marine Networks (GMN), creates leading edge data solutions for the IsatPhone Pro and is considered a leader in advancing satellite data speeds and services. Recognized by Inmarsat as a Solutions Provider GMN helps Fixed and Mobile Satellite Services providers and their customers by offering the industry’s fastest, most reliable and easy-to-use email, web, and other hardware and software services to maritime, oil and gas, first responder and business continuity users. The company’s products include XGate high-speed satellite email, WeatherNet weather and oceanographic data software, and vessel tracking systems.
Ship to shore network management solutions are sold by GMN under the RedPort Global brand name at http://www.redportglobal.com and as white-label solutions for the world’s premier satellite data service providers.
GMN has numerous awards and certifications for technical innovation and holds pending patents on its products. For more information on how GMN is Making Airtime Count™ – whether ship to shore, or in remote or emergency communications environments visit www.globalmarinenet.com.
Inmarsat has announced that the promised firmware update to the IsatPhone Pro is available for download from isatphonelive.com/support
This new firmware version 5.3.0 fixes a fault with versions 5.1.0 and 5.2.0 that causes the battery not to charge when the phone is turned off.
IsatPhone Pro users please note! This is a MANDATORY FIRMWARE UPGRADE. Inmarsat recommends that ALL IsatPhone Pro users upgrade their phones at the earliest opportunity. All phones must upgrade by the deadline of 31 December 2013. Without the upgrade, users will experience problems connecting to the network.
Download IsatPhone Pro Firmware Version 5.3.0
http://www.inmarsattx.com/IsatPhone_Pro_Firmware/IsatPhone_Pro_firmware_version_5_3_0.zip
IsatPhone Pro Firmware 5.3.0 Release Note
http://www.inmarsattx.com/IsatPhone_Pro_Firmware/IsatPhone_Pro_firmware_ 5_3_0_release_note.pdf
About Global Marine Networks, LLC
Global Marine Networks (GMN), creates leading edge data solutions for the IsatPhone Pro and is considered a leader in advancing satellite data speeds and services. Recognized by Inmarsat as a Solutions Provider GMN helps Fixed and Mobile Satellite Services providers and their customers by offering the industry’s fastest, most reliable and easy-to-use email, web, and other hardware and software services to maritime, oil and gas, first responder and business continuity users. The company’s products include XGate high-speed satellite email, WeatherNet weather and oceanographic data software, and vessel tracking systems.
Ship to shore network management solutions are sold by GMN under the RedPort Global brand name at http://www.redportglobal.com and as white-label solutions for the world’s premier satellite data service providers.
GMN has numerous awards and certifications for technical innovation and holds pending patents on its products. For more information on how GMN is Making Airtime Count™ – whether ship to shore, or in remote or emergency communications environments visit www.globalmarinenet.com.
PLEASE NOTE: The fix is now available. You can find details here: http://web.globalmarinenet.com/blog/bid/267098/IsatPhone-Pro-Faulty-Firmware-Fix-Now-Available
Inmarsat has announced a fault in firmware versions 5.1.0 and 5.2.0 (the latest) in IsatPhone Pro handsets with IMEI number above 353032041133824.
The battery on these phones does not charge while the handset is switched off. If the battery is allowed to run flat, then it becomes impossible to charge the phone unless a new, pre-charged battery is fitted.
Inmarsat expects to release a firmware update that will resolve this problem by February 8, 2013.
To check your handset's IMEI number and firmware version, use the phone's Menu and go to <Settings> <About>.
If you have an affected handset, Inmarsat recommends the following:
- Keep the phone switched ON during charging
- Maintain a full to half-charge
- Upgrade to the new version of firmware when it becomes available
We will post instructions to upgrade the firmware as soon as Inmarsat makes it available.
About Global Marine Networks, LLC
Global Marine Networks (GMN), creates leading edge data solutions for the IsatPhone Pro and is considered a leader in advancing satellite data speeds and services. Recognized by Inmarsat as a Solutions Provider GMN helps Fixed and Mobile Satellite Services providers and their customers by offering the industry’s fastest, most reliable and easy-to-use email, web, and other hardware and software services to maritime, oil and gas, first responder and business continuity users. The company’s products include XGate high-speed satellite email, WeatherNet weather and oceanographic data software, and vessel tracking systems.
Ship to shore network management solutions are sold by GMN under the RedPort Global brand name at http://www.redportglobal.com and as white-label solutions for the world’s premier satellite data service providers.
GMN has numerous awards and certifications for technical innovation and holds pending patents on its products. For more information on how GMN is Making Airtime Count™ – whether ship to shore, or in remote or emergency communications environments visit www.globalmarinenet.com.
Posted by
John Dark on Thu, Jan 17, 2013 @ 12:02 PM
GMN brings RedPort routers with crew-calling, on-board Internet café services and satellite email access to Iridium OpenPort satellite broadband service for commercial marine communications
MARYVILLE, TN January 17, 2010 – Global Marine Networks (GMN) the leaders in advancing satellite data speeds and services, today announced its appointment as a Global Distribution Partner for the Iridium OpenPort service and Iridium Pilot hardware. GMN will make the products and services available with its RedPort routers and suite of value-added satellite data services to the commercial and recreational maritime markets and to RedPort distributors.
“The truly global coverage of the Iridium OpenPort platform, along with the reliable and affordable Iridium Pilot terminals, make for an attractive product for the maritime market”, said Dr. Luis Soltero, CTO of GMN and RedPort Global. “Together with GMN RedPort services, Iridium makes an excellent choice for maritime customers in virtually any application – crew calling, on-board Internet café services, satellite email access and much more.”
For ships large and small, the Iridium OpenPort broadband service offers highly reliable broadband voice and data communications priced to fit any budget. Connected to the world's largest and only truly global commercial communication network, providing pole-to-pole coverage for ships at sea, it works everywhere on the planet.
Iridium Pilot hardware is engineered for enhanced durability to withstand the harshest maritime conditions, all the while packaged in a small, lightweight antenna. It has a fixed, electronically-steerable, phased-array antenna, designed to maintain connectivity in rough seas. Iridium Pilot offers broadband connectivity in addition to three independent phone lines, all of which work simultaneously, with data speeds up to 134 Kbps.
RedPort Global is a GMN brand that offers powerful yet affordable maritime satellite network management services - letting maritime satellite customers get the most out of their satellite data service through a host of features including:
- Satellite data compression gives up to five times faster data speeds than uncompressed rates
- Pin codes let customers generate new revenue by sharing or selling unique pin codes to crews, clients or passengers
- Usage controls can limit groups or individual users by time, megabytes, or web site white/black listing
- Firewall filtering by MAC or TCP/IP address and/or port number provide advanced controls
- Seamless failover service redirects data feeds giving users the ultimate reliability of changing between different satellite networks on the fly
- Data bonding - doubles data throughput while increasing reliability
- Shared onboard caching provides fast load times for commonly visited sites
About Global Marine Networks, LLC
Global Marine Networks (GMN), the leaders in advancing satellite data speeds and services, helps Fixed and Mobile Satellite Services providers and their customers by offering the industry’s fastest, most reliable and easy-to-use email, web, and other hardware and software services to maritime, oil and gas, first responder and business continuity users. The company’s products include XGate high-speed satellite email, WeatherNet weather and oceanographic data software, and vessel tracking systems.
Ship to shore network management solutions are sold by GMN under the RedPort Global brand name at http://www.redportglobal.com and as white-label solutions for the world’s premier satellite data service providers.
GMN has numerous awards and certifications for technical innovation and holds pending patents on its products. For more information on how GMN is Making Airtime Count™ – whether ship to shore, or in remote or emergency communications environments visit www.globalmarinenet.com.
###
Want to compare satellite email and web browsing speeds for Iridium, IsatPhone and other satellite phone equipment?
That is a complex topic, influenced by many factors, but we are here to help. Through clear comparisons, important recommendations and a video demonstration, it will be much easier for you to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of satellite systems.
So, first, let's understand the basics. Imagine that each piece of data (such as email or a GRIB file) that we want to transfer is like a car traveling on an interstate highway. How fast the car travels is dependent on the engine horsepower, the speed limit imposed on the highway, how many other cars are traveling that same highway and their speed, and whether there are other interferences, such as rain, a disabled car blocking traffic, etc.
The interestate highway represents the narrowband or broadband connection, the speed limit is the data transfer rate, interferences can be signal strength, signal quality, or competition for the connection.
Compare 'speeds' of data transfer for the different 'engines' if there is no other competition or interference during the trip.
| Equipment [Engine] |
Data Transfer Rate [Highway Speed] |
| IsatPhone Pro Handheld |
12 kbytes per minute |
| Iridium Handheld |
15 kbytes per minute |
| Globalstar Handheld |
50 kbytes per minute |
| Iridium OpenPort |
Range of 60 - 800 kbytes per minute |
| KVH VSAT |
Range of 800 to 8,000 kbytes per minute |
| Fleet Broadband |
Range of 800 to 2,500 kbytes per minute |
| Fleet Broadband 500 |
2,500 kbytes per minute |
| BGAN |
Range of 800 to 3,200 kbytes per minute |
| Home Broadband Land Line @512 kbps |
3,200 kbytes per minute |
| Home Broadband Land Line @1.5 Mbps |
9,600 kbytes per minute |
You can see from this chart there is a HUGE difference in speed between different satellite equipment systems (engines.) You can also see how satellite connection speeds compare to a typical broadband land line that most of us have in our homes. While satellite systems speeds vary, they are all slow to very slow when compared to land line connections.
Now for some good news: GMN specializes in maximizing the horsepower of your engine for both satellite email and web browsing.
Let's look at EMAIL first:
XGate satellite email is designed to eliminate extraneous email chatting that occurs between servers during a typical email transfer session. XGate packs all the email into one compressed stream of data, such that, on average, XGate is 10-15 times faster than other email programs (even faster on some systems). This means you realize significant savings in airtime costs.
Here's how:
An average email is usually 2-5 kb in size. Let's say that you are sending an update to family and close friends so you are sending 10 emails, each 5 kb for a total size of 50 kb; OR, you want to download a 3-day Wind Forecast GRIB file, which happens to be about 50 kb in size.
Compare airtime required to send those emails or to receive that GRIB file. Remember, with XGate, that entire batch of emails or that GRIB file will be packed to about 5kb in size, or less:
| Equipment |
Airtime Minutes without XGate (50 kb)* |
Airtime Minutes with XGate(50 kb compressed to 5kb)* |
| IsatPhone Pro Handheld |
4.1667 minutes |
.4167 minutes |
| Iridium Handheld |
3.3333 minutes |
.3333 minutes |
| Globalstar |
1.0000 minutes |
.1000 minutes |
| Iridium OpenPort* |
Range .8333 to .0625 minutes |
Range .0833 to .0063 minutes |
| Fleet Broadband* |
Range .0625 to .0200 minutes |
Range .0063 to .0020 minutes |
| Fleet Broadband 500* |
.0200 minutes |
.0020 minutes |
| BGAN* |
Range .0625 to .0156 minutes |
Range .0063 to .0016 minutes |
| KVH VSAT* |
Range .0625 to .0063 minutes |
Range .0063 to .0006 minutes |
*These airtime plans charge by the amount of data transferred, not by the airtime minute. All airtime use calculations are approximate and do not include any minimum billing increments required by providers.
Whether calculated by the minute or by the amount of data, XGate Satellite Email provides significant savings.
Now let's look at XWeb, an optional add-on service to XGate.
With XWeb you may save as much as $80 on every $100 of satellite airtime when web browsing; BUT, you must consider your equipment and needs carefully before signing up. Web browsing over narrowband connections (handheld satellite phones) can become very costly, very quickly. We recommend you always use mobile sites when browsing, whenever possible.
Compare the average satellite airtime use to download mobile Sports Illustrated (m.si.com) WITHOUT and then WITH using XWeb.
| Equipment |
Without XWeb (2.3MB) |
With XWeb (313.5kb) |
| IsatPhone Pro |
196.2667 minutes (3.2711 hours) |
26.125 minutes |
| Iridium |
157.0133 minutes (2.6169 hours) |
20.9 minutes |
| Globalstar |
47.1040 minutes |
6.27 minutes |
| Iridium OpenPort* |
39.2533 to 2.9440 minutes |
5.225 to .3919 minutes |
| Fleet Broadband* |
2.9440 to .9421 minutes |
.3919 to .1254 minutes |
| Fleet Broadband 500* |
.9421 minutes |
.1254 minutes |
| BGAN* |
2.9440 to .7360 minutes |
.3919 to .0980 minutes |
| KVH VSAT* |
2.9440 to .2944 minutes |
.3919 to .0392 minutes |
You can see that using XWeb yields a great savings on airtime dollars. Please note that web browsing savings varies depending on type of satellite phone equipment.
For a demonstration of XWeb compression, watch a 3-minute video:
Important Recommendations:
XWeb is highly recommended for Iridium OpenPort, Fleet Broadband, BGAN, Vsat, Globalstar and cell phones. The information above shows that you will be able to browse the web with XGate/XWeb because the basic equipment transfer speeds are high enough that with compression, web browsing is feasible.
You can also web browse with Iridium handheld phones and the Inmarsat IsatPhone Pro, but the transfer rates will be very slow even though they are accelerated 5X or more by XWeb. This is due to the inherent slow protocol of handheld satellite phones. Thus, you may web browse, but it will be slow and probably expensive, even with XWeb compression savings.
We really must "toot our own horn" here.
Bottom Line:
-
XGate satellite email is a wonderful addition to any satellite phone and will allow you to do email in a fast, efficient way.
-
XWeb web browsing with compression is a nice addition for mobile broadband and can be used for minimal browsing on the handsets. As you can see above, web browsing on narrowband devices is fairly slow and expensive; but, it is much better than not using it at all if you have to browse!
Unsure which system will work best for you? Contact us for a no-obligation consultation. We can help you decide which system best meets your needs.
Posted by
John Dark on Wed, Oct 31, 2012 @ 11:23 AM
Announcing XGate Social Media services.
Now, you can post to Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter from your iOS (iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch) or Android (Google Nexus, Samsung Galaxy, etc.) via a Wi-Fi enabled satellite data connection, or any data sevice running on your device. The new service is free to all XGate subscribers.
Simply download the app, enter your User ID and Password, and follow the directions to set up your social media accounts.
Update Facebook and Twitter via Satellite using iOS or Android Devices
XGate iPhone and Android apps let users post to popular social media sites when connected to a Wi-Fi enabled satellite data feed
MARYVILLE, TN OCTOBER 31, 2012 – Global Marine Networks (GMN), the leaders in advancing satellite data speed and services, today announced an update to its XGate iPhone and Android apps that lets users update their Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter feeds when connected to a Wi-Fi enabled satellite data service. XGate Social Media Services are immediately available to XGate subscribers in addition to accelerated satellite phone email, web browsing and weather data services.
“Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter are the way millions of people share their lives with others every day. Yet until now satellite phone users, who are often in the remote places or emergency situations where they most want to update others of their status, have found it hard to post to social media sites,” said Dr. Luis Soltero, President and CTO of GMN.
“Now, satellite phone users can update all of their friends, business contacts or followers via satellite phone with the press of a button in the XGate application.”
XGate offers email, web, weather, and now, social media services, designed for the unique needs of satellite data users. Satellite data feeds are significantly slower and/or much more expensive than most cellular data services, but have the advantage of working in places and times where cellular networks are not available. XGate uses three to twenty times less data for each of its services than standard email, web, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter apps, saving satellite users time and money.
To access XGate services, users simply need to connect to a Wi-Fi enabled satellite data feed, as would be found on a marine vessel, or created by a device such as the GMN Optimizer Satellite Firewall and Wi-Fi hotspot. XGate will also work over cellular data networks, allowing customers to use a single app regardless of network, or to save on cellular data usage charges.
XGate data services are a fast, reliable and easy-to-use satellite phone email, web, weather data – and now – social media service. Features include:
- Up to 20 times faster email transfer speeds through compression and custom server protocols
- Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn posting
- Mid-file restart and automatic satellite phone connection control
- Access to free GRIB weather files
XGate’s associated XWeb service accelerates web browsing an average of three to five times faster than uncompressed rates through compression, page re-rendering and ad-blocking, giving users easier and more reliable access to web sites.
Pricing and Availability
Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter updating are available to both new and existing users for standard XGate subscription rates. Existing XGate subscribers can download the latest version of XGate in the XGate downloads center. Currently, XGate Social Media services are available for all users of the following Windows, Apple Macintosh and Linux versions:
- Windows XP, Vista and 7, both 32 and 64-bit versions
- Apple Mac OSX 10.4 or later computers
- Apple iOS (iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch)
- Google Android
- Any Debian-based Linux system
Compatibility
XGate works with any IP-based data service, including the following satellite phones.
Compatible USB-based satellite phones:
- Inmarsat IsatPhone Pro
- Iridium 9555
- Iridium Extreme (9575)
- Iridium OpenPort
- Globalstar GSP-1700
- All Thuraya USB-based phones
Compatible Serial or Ethernet-based phones and terminals:
- Inmarsat FleetBroadband
- Inmarsat BGAN
- Iridium 9500
- Iridium 9505, 9505a
- Globalstar GSP-1600
- Globalstar GSP-2900
- Thuraya IP
About Global Marine Networks, LLC
Global Marine Networks (GMN), the leaders in advancing satellite data speeds and services, helps Fixed and Mobile Satellite Services providers and their customers by offering the industry’s fastest, most reliable and easy-to-use E-mail, web, and other hardware and software services to maritime, oil and gas, first responder and business continuity users. The company’s products include XGate high-speed satellite email, WeatherNet weather and oceanographic data software, and vessel tracking systems. Ship to shore network management solutions are sold by GMN under the RedPort Global brand name at http://www.redportglobal.com and as white-label solutions for the world’s premier satellite data service providers.
GMN has numerous awards and certifications for technical innovation and holds pending patents on its products. For more information on how GMN is Making Airtime Count™ - whether ship to shore, or in remote or emergency communications environments visit www.globalmarinenet.com.
###
To see XGate in action, take advantage of the free 3-day trial by clicking the button below. No need for a satellite phone to try out XGate, just download it onto your computer and test-drive XGate today!
