Inmarsat R-BGAN terminal brings Russian IT expedition to
Mount Elbrus alive for people at home

An expedition to the summit of mount Elbrus in Russia by a group of the country's IT specialists provided the perfect backdrop to showcase Inmarsat's R-BGAN terminal.

Most of the team - drawn from a range of Russian IT companies, including MTU-Intel, SpyLog and the Russian Webmasters' Union - had no experience of climbing.

But the team's objective was to conquer one of Europe's highest peaks at 5,642 metres, while demonstrating the power of the internet and mobile satellite communications via Inmarsat.

From the Western Elbrus summit, the team successfully performed live webcasts - using an Inmarsat R-BGAN terminal, which is the first in the new range of terminals supported by Inmarsat's forthcoming BGAN service.

The Inmarsat equipment was provided by Russian-based Inmarsat distribution partner MVS Group, which was technical partner on the project.

The idea was that as many internet users as possible could participate from their armchairs at home and follow up the event online. The non-official title of the event was "Get on top of Elbrus, without leaving your house".

MVS Group said the expedition demonstrated the growing interest in broadband mobile satellite services and proved that the R-BGAN is an ideal solution for search-and-rescue services, travel industry, education and entertainment.

Julia Lubimova, president of Russian Webmasters' Union, said: "Only with the help of the R-BGAN terminal were we able to carry out live-video conferences and show real-time views from Elbrus - one of the most beautiful and highest mountains in the world.

"It was great that a lot of internet users were able to watch the live video and enjoy the beauty of the most picturesque mountains - without leaving their homes and offices."

She summed up: "R-BGAN provides reliable communication services and gives a chance to communicate your experience from remote places - enabling viewers at homes to 'visit' places they've never seen."

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