Bgan’s: what are they and how do they work?

Making a VOIP call using a Bgan from the roof of the Bureau

It was Christmas night. I crouched close to the fire built by some of the Marines and tried to warm my hands against the cold. We were in Southern Afghanistan, at Forward Operating Base Gibraltar. It had been three days since I’d last showered and I was so cold in my tent at night that it was impossible to sleep. We’d already been ambushed by the Taliban earlier in the day and our report on the incident had lead the News back home in England. Caroline, the Correspondent I was with, wandered over to me. “London just called on the Sat Phone, News Channel would like a live in twenty minutes if we can.” I sighed and picked up my Camera. There were no Broadcast Engineers with us and we’d had to travel light to the base because of limits with how much weight the Helicopters could carry. I’d had just enough space for my Editing laptop and a Bgan. As the fire crackled away behind me I quickly connected my camera, the laptop and the Bgan and within minutes we were live on National TV. It was an atmospheric shot and allowed the public a small insight into life on Christmas day for the soldiers in Afghanistan. Five years ago this wouldn’t have been possible but TV Technology is moving fast and Bgan’s have been one of the biggest catalysts for change the industry has seen in a long time.

Bgan stands for Broadband Global Area Network and, for good or for bad depending on your standpoint, it has revolutionized the way that Newsgatherers operate. The network was set up by Inmarsat and uses three Geo-stationary satellites (in other words they don’t move anywhere). There is one that covers Africa and Europe, one for Australia and the Far-East and another with a footprint over the Americas. Between them they allow users to combine high bandwidth with wide coverage. Essentially it means that you can log onto a broadband internet connection from virtually anywhere in the world, no matter what the local infrastructure is like. The only extra kit you need to achieve this is a laptop computer loaded with the relevant software and a Broadband satellite IP terminal. These come in a number of shapes and designs but are generally about the size of a laptop. At the BBC, and many other international Broadcasters, they use a Hughes 9201 terminal often in conjunction with a Panasonic Toughbook.

Hughes 9201 Bgan Terminal

The Hughes 9201 is a pretty robust piece of kit that can deal with a variety of climates and plenty of rough treatment. You don’t need to be a skilled Technician to use one, common sense and a compass is generally enough. The way it works is fairly straightforward. You take the Bgan and lay it flat with a view of the sky to get a GPS fix –it has to work out where it is in the world before you can do anything else. That should take a couple of minutes but I’ve known it take up to twenty. Next you work out which Satellite you plan on using and manually point the dish in the right direction using a beep tone that gets quicker as the signal gets stronger and a corresponding signal power bar on the side. I am usually happy if four of the green LED lights on the power bar are illuminated – that’s enough to get a pretty good connection. It’s then simply a case of firing up your laptop and working through the Bgan Launchpad software which registers you with the network and allows you to choose your connection speed. The best speeds can often be found while using the basic, and cheapest, standard connection. It depends on how many people are using the network at the same time. I generally use the Standard connection for FTP’ing cut pieces back to London and 256 kb/ps streaming for lives.

BBC Team in Mozambique set up for a live with a Bgan. 2008

For live broadcasting over a Bgan the BBC use a type of conferencing software known as V-point. It allows you to choose how much information to send, set audio levels and receive return sound from the Studio. One issue to be aware of is trying to send video at too high quality – if you are using a 256kb/ps connection via the Bgan then make sure you’re sending less then that from V-point i.e 192kb/ps otherwise you clog the pipe so to speak and the video will freeze.

Once you’ve connected your camera and microphones then it is simply a case of calling your studios I.P address and praying that the call goes through. I’ve experienced many problems at this phase and missed a number of live “hits” due to the equipment deciding not to work. It doesn’t matter how many times you have used the kit or how sure you are that you have done everything correctly, at this stage it is in the hands of the TV Gods as to whether the call goes through or not.

So what are the drawbacks and complications with this technology? As an Operator the biggest drawback is that it is more kit that you are expected to carry – often in  dangerous conditions. On a technical level it can have its eccentricities, sometimes the units might not function in extreme heat, fail to get a GPS fix or simply run out of juice while you’re still miles away from a power source. The quality of the transmission is also a big problem, it is very common to see a live broadcast freeze on air if there is too much movement in the background or if the line inexplicably drops.

Despite the problems that have accompanied the use of Bgan for International Newsgathering it’s use will rapidly rise over the next few years as its capabilities increase. Connection speeds are already improving and it is only a matter of time before they are good enough for “Quality” live broadcasts on par with those from the Traditional Satellite Trucks.