iPass Unveils New 3G, Satellite Services

iPass Inc, which specializes in mobility software and services, has added new 3G service based on the high-speed CDMA EV-DO Rev A standard. The intent is to better enable enterprise productivity in the United States.

The company also has signed on to become a distribution provider for Inmarsats Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN) service.

The new 3G release will iPasss second in the United States. Initially, it will not be available for sale through channel partners, although the companys original 3G service still will be.

Inmarsats BGAN satellite service, on the other hand, will be sold through channel partners right away. BGAN provides broadband coverage across 85 percent of the world and 98 percent of the worlds population, iPass said. It delivers high-bandwidth IP data services, supporting access to the Internet and corporate VPN at speeds up to 492kbps, the company said.

Meanwhile, the new 3G service first will be available in 20 U.S. metropolitan areas, expanding to cover more than 200 by the end of the year. Outside of these regions, users still will have mobile data coverage using EV-DO Rev 0 or 1xRTT technologies.

The service will have upload speeds of 300kbps to 400kbps and download speeds of 450kbps to 800 kbps, which offer a five-fold improvement over the performance of EV-DO Rev 0, iPass said.

Both the 3G and BGAN services will be integrated into iPass Virtual Office, the companys main connectivity service, as well as other products. iPass offers 3G mobile data, 75,000 Wi-Fi hotspots worldwide, fixed broadband connections, mobile broadband satellite and dial-up networks in more than 160 countries, the company said.

The 3G service will be available by the end of February and pricing starts at $60 per month per user. Inmarsat BGAN service will be available to iPass customers during the second quarter of 2007.

Inmarsat www.inmarsat.com  

iPass Inc. www.ipass.com