Vanco enables most northerly video message ever

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Vanco, the pioneering Virtual Network Operator, yesterday delivered the most northerly as-live transmitted video message ever. British explorer and environmentalist Pen Hadow, accompanied by colleagues Ann Daniels and Martin Hartley, ventured for two hours north of the Arctic's Eureka Weather Station to a point 80.0 degrees North to make the historic video transmission.

The video footage was transmitted from the Arctic Ocean at 1903 GMT, using the Vanco Arctic Survey's pioneering satellite communications system. Due to the severe limitations imposed by a lack of satellite coverage over the High Arctic regions, it took 18 minutes before this short video transmission was received by the UK-based Operations team.

Vanco developed and integrated the technology involved, ensuring the entire communications set up operated smoothly. Six analogue phone lines were installed and tested for data transmission before their direct dial numbers were logged onto the Central Data Processor (on the Vanco Arctic Survey sledge) to enable 6-way automatic dial-up and data transmission. A router (in the UK HQ) combines the six separate data sets into one file, these are then re-assembled and viewed via a laptop. Large file transmission is not a problem - the system has been designed to redial if there is a temporary Iridium satellite gap/drop-out during transmission.

Allen Timpany, Vanco's CEO, said, “We are proud to have achieved this record. Combining multiple technologies from a range of innovative companies is exactly what Vanco does day-to-day for its enterprise clients, so this was an exciting chance to push the boundaries of the technology at our disposal. The success of this initial transmission during the Ice Trials, which precede Pen and the team's main journey next year, bodes well for our plans to conduct a video conference at the North Pole itself. As the world's most global telecommunications company, it will be great to tick another location, in which we have successfully delivered communications services, off our list.”