AAP-1 Used to Provide Internet Connection to the Top of the World.Business Editors/High-Tech Writers PRINCETON, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 23, 2003 The first-ever Internet cafe The high-tech equivalent of the coffee house. However, instead of playing chess or having heated political discussions, you browse the Internet and discuss the latest technology. CDs, DVDs, games and other "cyber stuff" are also generally available. at the Mt. Everest base camp South Base Camp and North Base Camp are rudimentary campsites on Mount Everest that are used by mountain climbers during their ascent and descent of the mountain. Supplies are carried to the camps using porters and animals. went live last week using space segment on AMERICOM ASIA-PACIFIC's AAP-1 satellite to establish the connection between the cafe and the Internet. AMERICOM ASIA-PACIFIC, a 50/50 joint venture company of Lockheed Martin For the former company, see . Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) is a leading multinational aerospace manufacturer and advanced technology company formed in 1995 by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta. and SES AMERICOM SES Americom is a major commercial satellite operator based in the United States. Formerly RCA Americom and GE Americom the company is now (with SES Astra and SES New Skies) one of the principal parts of SES S.A.. , donated bandwidth on the satellite to help make the cafe possible. The Internet cafe is largely the result of the vision of Tsering Gyalzen, a native Sherpa and grandson of one of the Sherpas who participated in the 1953 first conquest of Mt. Everest. The path between the cafe and the outside world consists of a WiFi connection between the base camp located on a glacier and a satellite earth station installed within two miles of the camp at the height of 16,000 feet. The AAP-1 satellite then connects the earth station to a teleport in Taipei, which in turn, is connected to the Internet backbone via fiber. Although Tsering Gyalzen is the main force behind the cafe, its existence was made possible through the support and contributions of the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee, AMERICOM ASIA-PACIFIC, Cisco Systems, Teleport Access Services, Inc., and WorldLink Communications Pvt. Ltd. of Nepal. Deepak Mathur, AMERICOM ASIA-PACIFIC Managing Director, said, "We are delighted and honored we are able to participate in this project. Since we first became aware of its existence, everything about the cafe has intrigued us: from the entrepreneurial spirit of Tsering to the mystic nature of Mt. Everest to showcasing some of the unique benefits and capabilities of satellite communications technology to working with a number of esteemed companies to conquer the mountain once again." Located at 108.2(degree) E.L., AAP-1 is a high-powered, all Ku-band FSS FSS Federal Supply Service (US General Services Administration) FSS Flight Service Station FSS Family Self-Sufficiency FSS Fixed Satellite Service FSS Forensic Science Service (Great Britain) satellite with coverage of China, North-East Asia, the Philippines and India. The satellite includes up to 28 transponders with 36 MHz (MegaHertZ) One million cycles per second. It is used to measure the transmission speed of electronic devices, including channels, buses and the computer's internal clock. A one-megahertz clock (1 MHz) means some number of bits (16, 32, 64, etc. bandwidth and is suitable for broadcast program distribution, DTH (Direct-To-Home) Typically refers to satellite TV broadcasting directly to a dish antenna on the roof of a house. See DBS. applications, broadband data networks and VSAT (Very Small Aperture satellite Terminal) A small earth station for satellite transmission that handles up to 56 Kbits/sec of digital transmission. VSATs that handle the T1 data rate (up to 1.544 Mbits/sec) are called "TSATs. applications. About AMERICOM ASIA-PACIFIC Americom Asia-Pacific (AAP AAP - Association of American Publishers ) is a joint venture company of Lockheed Martin, a world-class manufacturer of communication satellites, and SES AMERICOM, a pioneer and leading provider of global satellite communications services currently operating 15 spacecraft in orbital positions providing service throughout the Americas, across Europe, over the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and throughout Asia. Formed in 1998, AMERICOM ASIA-PACIFIC provides high-powered capacity and state-of-the-art services to programmers, telcos, carriers, ICPs and ISPs -- and their customers -- throughout the Asia-Pacific region via the AAP-1 satellite (formerly GE-1A). AMERICOM ASIA-PACIFIC's regional headquarters are located in Singapore, with additional representative offices located in Hong Kong and Beijing. |
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