Emergency Response and Wireless Location Systems     by Manlio Allegra       Home         Topics: Main | 2004 | 2003 |2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | 1998 | 1997   TerreStar Completes Ground Based Beam Forming Test TerreStar Networks completed its initial on-orbit testing of Ground Based Beam Forming (GBBF) is complete, clearing another hurdle prior to the launch of its hybrid satellite+terrestrial smartphone service. The service is expected to launch in the second half of this year. The TerreStar GBBF system is the first two-way GBBF system to employ both ground based calibration and beam forming. The system provides the flexibility to deploy over 500 spot beams and manage power and capacity as customer demand dictates. "Stable, configurable beams are being formed and link performance is meeting our expectations for this phase," said Dennis Matheson, chief technology officer, TerreStar. "We could not have made this tremendous progress without our dedicated partners Hughes Network Systems and Space Systems/Loral." "Since the launch of our satellite, TerreStar-1, on July 1, 2009, TerreStar has continued to execute on its vision of offering ubiquitous, reliable and resilient mobile service -- virtually anywhere in North America," said Jeffrey Epstein, president & CEO, TerreStar. "Today's 'first' is another milestone on the path to deliver the next generation of mobile services." http://www.terrestar.com 22-Feb-10 In September 2009, AT&T agreed to market TerreStar's satellite cellular smartphone. The TerreStar GENUS Smartphone combines AT&T's 3G terrestrial wireless service with TerreStar's all-IP satellite voice and data as a back-up throughout the United States. The TerreStar satellite footprint also covers Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and offshore coastal waters. The satellite-terrestrial smartphone reference design represents the world's first quad-band GSM and tri-band WCDMA/HSPA device running the Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.5 operating system, and offering integrated satellite-terrestrial voice and data capabilities. In July 2009, TerreStar Networks successfully completed the first end-to-end VoIP phone call over its newly launched TerreStar-1, the world's largest, most advanced commercial communications satellite. The call used two handsets developed by EB (Elektrobit). Recent Satellite News DISH Network Launches Online Video Portal with Live TV 8/24/2010 Spacenet Awarded $7.5M for Broadband in Alaska & Hawaii 8/23/2010 WildBlue Wins $19M Grant for Rural Satellite Broadband 8/19/2010 First Advanced Extremely High Frequency Satellite Launched Successfully 8/15/2010 Google Inks Ad Sales Deal with DIRECTV 8/11/2010 EchoStar Selects Widevine for Digital Rights Management 8/10/2010 Lockheed Martin Readies First Advanced Extremely High Frequency Satellite 8/10/2010 Valero Selects Spacenet for Broadband Managed Services Nationwide 8/10/2010 Inmarsat Plans Ka-band Global Mobile Broadband Service 8/6/2010 Hughes and China UnifiedNet Form Joint Venture 8/3/2010 EchoStar Plans New Data Center in Wyoming 8/3/2010 Sky Deutschland Selects Broadcom's STB Chipset 8/2/2010 Harris Acquires CapRock for $525 Million 7/30/2010 Cable&Wireless Worldwide Closes London Centre 7/30/2010 FCC Explores Mobile Satellite Service (MSS) Spectrum 7/15/2010 > More news...   Search  this site   Search the Web   Get Your Column Published Emergency Response and Wireless Location Systems by Manlio Allegra Interview: NSN's Sue Spradley on LightSquared's Wholesale Mobile Data Paradigm by Sue Spradley Mobile Backhaul Transition Requires New Testing by Joe Zeto Cybersecurity Requires Public/Private Coalition by Greg Oslan A Rethinking of Cloud Services and Network Architecture by Jim Theodoras Delivering Scalable Video Solutions <br><i> Advantages of SVC-Optimized QoS</i> by Andy Singleton         E-mail Newsletter Subscribe Now