Verizon, Thrane & Thrane team to provide portable broadband access

Verizon Business unveiled a portable satellite enterprise service this week that it says can provide voice and data services to employees in remote locations "virtually anywhere in the United States and around the world."

The service, known as Verizon Business Global Broadband Satellite Access, is powered by a Thrane & Thrane Explorer terminal that connects to a broadband global-area network and provides "portable broadband" access to remote locations.

"The terminals themselves are much like cable modems," says George Spohn, vice president and general manager of Thrane & Thrane for the Americas. "When you think of a satellite, you think of a large satellite dish, but the average size of these terminals is the size of an open paperback book."

Verizon Business is marketing the service to industries that often operate out of remote locations, such as transportation, mining and healthcare. The service's primary features include secure access to corporate VPNs, high-speed broadband connections, and near-global coverage. The terminals have been designed with a wide variety of sizes, speeds and outputs to tailor to different professions. Some have even been designed to operate from within moving vehicles, Spohn says.

"In today's business, there is an increasing need to stay connected regardless of geographic location," says Nancy Gofus, Verizon's senior vice president and chief marketing officer. "Mobile satellite is another arrow in our quiver and we don't intend to stop there."