Amazon adventure for the BBC with BGAN X-Stream

The BBC unleashed the portable power of BGAN X-Stream to cover the bold bid by TV presenter Helen Skelton to kayak the length of the Amazon for charity.

Helen, 26, successfully completed her solo kayak journey along 2,010 miles of the great Amazon River at the end of February.

The BBC used BGAN X-Stream to track Helen’s arduous journey and to stream live TV coverage of her adventure to millions of viewers from deep inside the Amazon rain-forest.

A presenter of the BBC’s Blue Peter children’s programme, Helen set off from Natua, Peru, for Almerim in Brazil, on 20 January. Helen was raising funds for Sport Relief – the UK-based initiative that aims to help transform the lives of poor and vulnerable people.

Fighting off daily sickness and heat exhaustion, Helen, along with her BGAN terminal, paddled 60 miles a day, six days a week to break two world records, the longest solo journey by kayak by a woman, and for longest distance in a kayak travelled in 24 hours by a woman.

Helen said

“My bottom is bruised, my shoulders are sore and the muscles in my neck are making it hard to differentiate between my head and my shoulders. But to be honest I am proud of the war wounds.

“I’m very lucky to have amazing people in my life who’ve picked me up when things got hard, and most importantly inspired me to carry on.”

Tariam launched its BGAN X-Stream service in October 2009 and the service is available on all Tariam supplied Thrane 700 Explorer and Hughes 9201 terminals and some marine and vehicle mounted variants, even to customers with existing BGAN SIM cards in use. X-Stream uses existing well proven technology to facilitate an uncontended streaming connection of up to 450 kbps from wherever you want to work or play.

Tariam supplies “best-of-breed” mobile and fixed Satellite Broadband and Satellite Internet solutions for people who want to get connected where there are no wires.

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