Next time you watch a newsfeed of a reporter out at a really remote location (like really remote), you may notice that the picture quality is better than you previously remembered. If so, it may be because Inmarsat just boosted the bitrate of their BGAN (broadband global area nework) X-Stream service from 256 kbps to a minimum of 384 kbps, with the potential for streaming up to 450 kbps. At these rates, according to Frank August, Inmarsat’s Director of Business Development for the Americas, quality is sufficient for wide shots and real action, not just jerky postage stamp talking heads.

Don’t know much about satellite delivery? I didn’t either; here’s the Cliff Notes version I got from August. Inmarsat is the world’s leading provider of global mobile satellite communications. When I say mobile, I mean a dish that’s smaller than a 17” notebook. Obviously, if you can get a satellite truck involved, with a huge dish, you get much higher speeds, but such dishes tend to be tough to check on a plane, or for roving reporters to carry.

Inmarsat is a service provider, not a manufacturer, and was showing two satellite dishes for their service; the Hughes 9201 (shown, about $2,500) and the Thrane Explorer 700 (about $4,500), which features a detachable antenna so you can work inside with the main unit close by, and the antenna outside. Both dishes also have RJ11 jacks for IP phone service.

Once you have the antenna, you pay $40/month to join the service, then pay as you go, with rates starting at about $20/minute. To broadcast remotely, you connect your camcorder to a computer with a capture device and streaming encoder and connect the computer to the dish via Ethernet. Once connected, the service acts pretty much like a local area or wireless network that you can use to transmit your streaming video. Inmarsat guarantees the 384 kbps for streaming, but you can also use the connection for email, surfing the web or similar activities.