M SAT Push To Talk

The North American mobile satellite system (MSAT), now owned by Sky Terra,  began providing the United States and Canada with an unprecedented range of innovative mobile satellite services in 1995. MSAT is the first dedicated system in North America for mobile telephone, radio, facsimile, paging, position location, and data communications for users on land, at sea, and in the air.

Prior to being purchased by Sky Terra, Canada-based TMI Communications & Company Ltd. of Ottawa, Ontario, and American Mobile Satellite Corporation (AMSC) in Reston, Va., signed contracts with Hughes and Spar Aerospace Ltd. of Canada in 1990 to build their respective satellites for the initial systems. TMI and AMSC each own and operate identical spacecraft. Both will provide complementary mobile services, and each will provide backup and restoration capacity for the other. MSAT-1 operates at 106.5 degrees West longitude. AMSC-1 is at 101 degrees West.

MSAT Two-way Radio is a real-time, voice-based service that provides point-to-multipoint and point-to-point communication at the push of a button. The service is a cost-effective alternative to installing, maintaining, and relocating land-based two-way radio communications systems.

Service Highlights

• The satellite acts like a radio tower, turning the entire continent into a single cell, transmitting signals to and receiving signals from subscribers on the ground.

• MSAT radios can have up to 15 user-defined talk groups.

• Single conferences can accommodate up to 9,999 users.

• Network level talk group prioritization feature set for each radio.

• Priority-1 interruption feature enabling users to override a current speaker in the event of an emergency.

• Dial-in dispatch feature enabling a user to join a talk group conversation from the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN).

• Dial-out dispatch feature enabling a talk group member to dial out to a specific PSTN phone number, bridging the PSTN user into a talk group conversation.