Vizada Adds VSAT Capability to Universal Card Prepaid Voice Service
By Jeffrey Hill | May 12, 2011
[Satellite TODAY 05-12-11] Vizada has launched its new Universal Card prepaid solution to work with both mobile and fixed satellite terminals at sea, the independent satellite communications provider announced May 11.
The service will be compatible with Inmarsat and Iridium terminals, as well as with hardware produced by Vizada’s VSAT service Pharostar, launched in late 2010, Vizada said. Vizada’s Universal Card aims to allow ship crew members to make prepaid private calls, send prepaid emails, SMS messages and access the web, while enabling ship managers to control private communications costs.
“End-users can make prepaid voice calls for as low as $0.35 per minute,” Vizada EMEA Product Manager Tilmann Michalke said in a statement. “Most vessels equipped with VSAT have a backup satphone. Universal Card is the first calling card to work with both connections. Having a prepaid card available via an Inmarsat FleetBroadband, Mini-M or an Iridium back-up terminal in conjunction to Pharostar is a huge improvement for vessels.”