ip.access technology in record-breaking Antarctic adventure

Press Release:

ip.access technology in record-breaking Antarctic adventure

Press Release
News Article October 2004

ip.access ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of TTP Communications Plc (LSE:TTC), today announces that it is supplying The INVESCO PERPETUAL Challenge: Expedition Trans-Antarctica with nanoGSM™ technology to create a private mobile phone network in the world’s highest, driest and coldest continent. The expedition is launched officially on Thursday 14th October at the prestigious Royal Automobile Club in Pall Mall, London.

The GSM solution provided by ip.access will allow a two vehicle Land Rover team to communicate with one another as they traverse 700 miles to the South Pole to provide a re-supply of provisions and specialist kites to a second team of four skiers. The teams, who will have begun on opposite sides of the continent, will then race back together from the South Pole in an attempt to achieve the record for the fastest ski team to cross Antarctica.

To create the private GSM network, one Land Rover vehicle will be equipped with ip.access’ nanoBTS™ GSM pico-basestation and MSC/BSC simulator package, NetSim, allowing mobile calls to be made to the other vehicle. ip.access is further supporting the INVESCO PERPETUAL Challenge by sponsoring an Iridium interconnection which will enable images to be transmitted back to official media partner, Reuters, by the Communications Director in the Land Rover team, Robyn Garratt.

The teams begin their epic journey on October 27th, arriving in Antarctica on November 5th, and will be hoping to complete the 1600km ski traverse in under 55 days in order to achieve the world record.

Team Leader and author of ‘Misadventures in a White Desert’, Patrick Woodhead, is raring to go. "The expedition is trying to realise a dream that is over 90 years old and still has never been completed. Sir Ernest Shackleton’s vision of two teams meeting at the South Pole and attempting a full traverse has been my inspiration for the trip and for many of the adventures I have had to date. We are attempting to meet this challenge in a totally new way, using Land Rovers as support. We are trying to pioneer the use of the technology provided by ip.access to enable us to communicate with the outside world in real time."

The ip.access nanoBTS is a GSM pico-basestation that uses IP networks to deliver cellular voice and data services in the smallest and most cost-effective package available today. Through the innovation of using IP as the backhaul medium, the nanoBTS provides coverage and capacity simply and efficiently. The nanoBTS is part of the ip.access nanoGSM™ solution, which allows network operators to boost mobile phone coverage in traditionally hard-to-reach areas, enabling new applications such as Wireless Office.

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