Satellite Internet and VoIP in Iraq

2-way satellite system for US army near Baghdad keeps US soldiers connected to their love ones at home.

Hereby we would like to announce that we have successfully installed our first 2-way system in Baghdad for the US Army. It was a big adventure and due to all recent problems and terror attacks. We managed it, said Markus Haut, who went to Baghdad himself to ensure that the customer is satisfied with our product.

Now we give US soldiers in Iraq the possibility to communicate with their love ones at home by e-mail, Voice over IP and Video Conferencing. We all hope that the situation in Iraq is getting better soon and both sides understand that terror an war are not appropriate solutions in our modern world.

Military satellite communications are an absolute necessity on the battlefield, where commanders need real-time access to intelligence information to guide the movements of troops and targeting of weapons. But for the soldiers serving in Iraq, a satellite link also has meant access to personal e-mail, web cam conversations with loved and other news from home.

"As an infantry company we don't have the luxuries that a supporting unit might have," Staff Sgt. Jose Matias said in an e-mail interview. "Since mid-March we have pretty much been on our own." Using its own money, Matias' unit purchased a DirecWay terminal, a Hughes Network Systems device that provides a link to the Internet via satellite.

About 20 computers can be connected to one terminal. For Matias and his fellow troops, the impact of the systems was immediate. Letters take three weeks or more to get from home to the unit. Internet access had to be borrowed from supporting units that had their own equipment, Matias said. Once they had the Hughes equipment, Matias set up a web cam to see his wife and their three children.

There are about 500 satellite terminals sold in Iraq and Afghanistan that are being used by American and British soldiers as well as the Iraq Coalition Provisional Authority and nongovernmental organizations working in the countries. For now the systems are mostly used for personal communications, providing a morale boost to troops far from home.

A typical Hughes' DirecWay unit sells for between $1,100 and $3,000 (Pricing Info). In addition to Matias' unit, other units with DirecWay include the 101st Airborne, the 1st Armored Division, the 4th Infantry and the 82nd Airborne.

The satellite Internet market in Iraq has a long way to grow.

VoIP over Satellite Internet Connection:

VOIP over Satellite introduction

Our 2-way satellite system do cover areas of the world where stable communication is quite difficult to get. Up to now we only have been able to deliver internet connectivity. It is quite obvious that also telephony is of extremely high interest to our customers. That is why all our office solutions do have 2 VOIP Ports right from delivery.

The quality which can be achievable over a satellite link can be compared quite well with the one over Inmarsat or other satellite phones systems. Sometimes also with intercontinental calls, if they are not routed by optical fiber cable but by Satellite.

Due to regulatory affairs we cannot offer you VOIP phone services if you have a permanent residence within Germany. We also recommend to check with your local Office for regulative telecommunication affairs, prior using our systems.

We offers you a 2- port standard VOIP solution with each V-SAT system for Office use. (Product code: TT-x040)

The VOIP gateway:

Our VOIP adaptor has 2 standard Voice Ports, which can be directly connected to a PSTN system or a regular analog telephone. Of course you also can use your cordless phone. The adaptor is connected by Ethernet to our Performance Enhancement Gateway (PEH-Gateway).

Does other VOIP equipment work on the satellite ?

We have tested many solutions, but only few of them really have convinced our engineers. We have successfully tested our equipment working with our satellites.

If you try to use different VOIP equipment, it is very likely that it does not work on the satellite link.

When you use any different type of VOIP service behind our satellite links, they "may" work as well, but very often you experience terrible jitters or broken connections on the upstream. The technical background of this, is that these VOIP providers are not capable of prioritizing the network traffic within our satellite network with their solutions. They are also not capable of keeping a small part of the available bandwidth reserved on the satellite link.

That is why it is very unlikely that another solution will work on a shared satellite link.

VoIP Satellite Internet in Iraq:

VOIP services

With all internet services we deliver, you do receive:

	up to two active voice ports on all DVB-RCS satellites
	support of inbound and outbound phone calls
	one phone number in a European country or in the US for each port
	bandwidth upgrade/ protocol prioritization
	easy use scratch cards to upgrade your phone account
	connect regular a/b port phones or fax machines
	Fax to e-mail option (you do receive faxes on your inbound number per e-mail)
	Account Balance System access for reviewing billing information
	call forwarding to any other number in the world
	Voice Mail (forward unanswered calls to your voice mail)
	Forward calls if you are busy on the line
	Show caller ID (see who calls you)
	suppress your own caller ID
	Redial the last number
	View Call history online on the web

Please note that only DVB-RCS compatible services and DIRECWAY on PAS 10 satellite does support VOIP. All other solutions do not support VOIP, as the upstream is too small.

Do you want an international Phone Number ?

We are running VOIP gateway all over the world, which support local phone numbers for calls

you do receive.

It is quite simple. Someone who wants to talk with you calls your number either in Europe or in the US. Each Voice port can be dedicated to one of the countries and cities you can see in the table below.

So you can use an official phone number from everywhere in the world, even if you do not live in the country where the number is reachable. The caller will have the same experience as calling to a number in Europe or to a number in the US. Our VOIP services even can travel with you. No matter where you move your stationary system, your inbound phone number stays the same. For years if you like.

Satellite Phone for Military Personel:

Satellite Phone

If you expect to spend time in different areas of Iraq other than the southernmost areas, satellite phones are definitely the best way to go. There will not be a cellular solution that is reliable and as inexpensive for calls back to the US as a satellite phone for at least 10 months.

High ranking military officers and The International Press Corps all agree that when traveling in the Middle East your best choice for keeping InTouch is one of our satellite phones.

If you are being deployed to the Middle East and are looking for an economical way to talk back to the US from your Army Base , contact us now and take advantage of our special discounted pricing available only to deployed Military Personnel.

If you do not think you will need the phone long term, you can rent this phone. Click here for a quote.

Portable Phones

Globalstar GSP-1600 Portable Satellite Phone
The Globalstar GSP-1600 tri-mode mobile satellite phone meets the needs of business users who work in areas where cellular coverage is either unavailable or inaccessible. Designed to extend the ability to communicate from areas where cellular or landline phones are unavailable.

A full range of value-added products are also available to ensure that whatever your needs, we have a solution to keep you in touch. HighSpeedSat can help you apply the technology to meet your business requirements, all with the convenience, reliability and affordability of Globalstar satellite communications

NEW - $649.99

DEMO - $569.99
(demo = Like New, 30 minutes or less talk time
includes 1 yr warranty)

Yearly Plans

To learn more about Mobile Satellite Internet system please click here: