Inmarsat R-BGAN Service Closure

Inmarsat has announced the dates for the closure of the R-BGAN service at the end of 2008. They are:

South America - 15th December, 2008

Rest of world - 31st December, 2008

R-BGAN, also known as Regional BGAN, was Inmarsat's first "always-on" IP data service for the land-mobile market, launched in 2002.

It has now been superseded by Inmarsat's BGAN service, which offers simultaneous voice and broadband data connectivity at up to 492kbps. Users are advised to contact their service provider to discuss upgrading.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is the R-BGAN service closing down?

R-BGAN has now been replaced by Inmarsat's BGAN service, which offers simultaneous voice and broadband data connectivity at up to 492kbps. Users are advised to contact their service provider to discuss upgrading.

When does the service close down?

Americas (midnight UTC, 15 December, 2008)

Rest of the world (Midnight UTC, 31 December, 2008)

What impact will the closure have on the R-BGAN end-user?

As per the dates mentioned, the R-BGAN service will no longer be available.

Will my R-BGAN user terminal (UT) work with the BGAN service?

No. In order to get access to the BGAN service, customers will need to purchase a BGAN terminal. R-BGAN UTs are not compatible with the BGAN service.

What do end-users do with their R-BGAN terminal after the service is closed?

Inmarsat recommends customers to re-cycle any unwanted equipment locally.

How do I continue using the Inmarsat IP network after the R-BGAN service is shut down?

Inmarsat offers new IP solutions on the BGAN service. BGAN is a packet switched enabled service, so we expect applications running on R-BGAN to work on BGAN. Please contact us to find out which BGAN device is best suited to your needs.