“India is the largest market for Regional BGAN service”

What is Inmarsat Regional BGAN service and when do you plan to start
service in India? 

Inmarsat Regional BGAN service is a wireless packet data service based on IP
which offers mobile, high speed access to the Internet and corporate IT network
via a small, lightweight portable satellite IP modem. The service was launched
in November last year whereby one can surf Internet or send mail through
Internet modem via satellite. In India, the company is in talks with the
relevant authorities for getting regulatory and security clearances. The company
is not planning to get the license for operating the service in India but will
work with partners who will get the license and provide Regional BGAN service.Â

Our market research says that out of 99 countries, India is by far the
largest market for Regional BGAN service. We have a number of options and are
discussing with the regulatory authorities for the commencement of service.

Do you plan to have a gateway in India to start Regional BGAN service?Â


We have one gateway outside India and we are not planning for an Indian
gateway but we are flexible as far as India is concerned. India is an important
market for us and we have to make every effort to start operations at the
earliest.

What would be the role of distribution partner in India?

We already have VSNL as our partner for our existing service but we are
looking for a new distribution partner to compliment VSNL and to target new
market and new user. We are looking at a new market opportunity which does not
directly compete with the existing service in India The role of the new
distributor will be to have relationship with the end consumer and has to look
after sales & marketing, billing & customer care, and also comply with
the regulatory issues of setting up a lambda station, if required. We are
looking for around 3-5 distribution partners from service providers, network
operators, and system integrators category.

What is the investment required for becoming Inmarsat Regional BGAN
distribution partner?

The distribution partner has to invest in a lambda station and provide
service through it. Currently there is no need for any Lambda station for
Regional BGAN service.

What is the cost of accessing the service worldwide and what would be the
pricing in India knowing it is a price sensitive market? 

For accessing Regional BGAN service one has to pay US $1,500 (plus duty) for
the portable satellite IP modem. For the usage of service one has to pay US $10
per minute. India represents a very significant opportunity. We hope the pricing
model is appropriate for the target customers in India and closely monitoring
the situation.

Who is the target user for Regional BGAN service?

Regional BGAN service is considered to be an attractive proposition adding
value to current portfolio for premium corporate customers. There is an
opportunity in non-urban areas of India and will help in growing the
connectivity market rather than competing with the existing offerings. We are
focussing on finance, manufacturing, energy, banking, media, and tourism sector,
in addition to traditional Inmarsat market. In India, the company is also
looking at opportunities in e-learning and e-education but the core focus of the
product is government, manufacturing, finance, and rural e-learning project.

What kind of applications one can run using Regional BGAN service?

One can run any applications which runs on Internet using Internet IP modem
like Siebel, SAP, PeopleSoft, Oracle, in addition to e-mail and web browsing.
Once the roaming agreement is signed between mobile operator and Inmarsat, one
can take out the SIM card from the mobile phone and put in to the BGAN service
and after using the service one will get one bill for mobile telephony calls and
data usage. Hence it provides further flexibility and easy usage of this product
and service and that is quite unique for satellite and data communications.    Â

Would you tell us about your future service BGAN Global?

Inmarsat is planning to operate BGAN Global in 2005 and it will be faster
than Regional BGAN and will provide speeds up to 432 KBPS. It is based on L-band
and the satellite will be on a high earth orbit. The company is planning for a
larger faster terminals and smaller pocket terminals genuinely for business
everywhere.

Pravin Prashant