Citation: Newsbytes, Feb 2, 1996 pNEW02020018

Title: British Telecom's Global Satphone Internet Service.

Reference #: A17942705

Full Text COPYRIGHT Newsbytes Inc. 1996

LONDON, ENGLAND, 1996 FEB 2 (NB) -- The image of an explorer browsing the Web from a laptop in the middle of the jungle is no longer the stuff of science fiction, thanks to a new service. British Telecom's Inmarsat division has announced a new data service with interconnections with the Internet across the new Inmarsat M series of satellites.

According to Lucy Bicknell, a spokesperson for BT Inmarsat, the Inmarsat M Internet service is designed to operate at 9,600 bits per second (bps) and offers the complete range of Internet services from wherever in the world a user is located.

"Pricing on the M Data service is a lot less than with existing voice Inmarsat service, at UKP 2.88 per minute between 05.30 and 19.30 hours, and UKP 2.48 at other times. This allows anyone on the move to send and receive e-mail and, if appropriate, to access the World Wide Web, no matter where they are," she explained.

BT claims that the innovation from BT Inmarsat is the first of its kind in the world and will enable satellite surfing from almost any location in the world without the need for fixed telephone line connections.

Discounts of up to 20 percent on calls are available for bulk contracts for Inmarsat M service, Newsbytes notes.

Units for connection to Inmarsat M range in size and weight, but the current smallest version is a five pound unit that is designed for use on ocean-going vessels.

The new Internet service is now available to M- Sat users from any location in Africa, Europe, the Middle East, North or South America and will be extended globally within the next few months.

(Sylvia Dennis/19960201/Press Contact: Band & Brown Communications +44-171-704-2010; Reader Contact: Inmarsat +44-171-492-4996)