Streambox Inc. and Thrane & Thrane have formed a partnership to develop enhanced integration between the Streambox ACT-L3 Portable Video Transport solutions and Thrane & Thrane's Explorer 700 and Explorer 727 terminals.

Thrane & Thrane is a supplier of satellite terminals for Inmarsat's broadband global area network (BGAN) communications system, and Streambox offers IP-centric solutions for live newsgathering and file-based video acquisition.

Based on the ACT-L3 compression codec, the Streambox Portable Video Transport solution enables broadcasters, government agencies and enterprises to deliver high-quality live and file-based broadcast video from the field using low data rate IP connections such as BGAN.

Thrane & Thrane's mobile broadband solutions are designed to establish quickly and seamlessly a BGAN satellite connection for its customers. The collaboration targets closer integration of the products while promoting ease-of-use and eliminating any unnecessary complexity for users.

The companies say this combination of Streambox and Thrane & Thrane products "provides a reliable and flexible end-to-end solution for mobile newsgathering applications, emergency response, and armed forces operations."

The Streambox and Thrane & Thrane solutions have played an important role in U.K.-based broadcaster Sky News' mobile newsgathering capabilities as it reports live news from hot spots around the world.

"The Streambox system in combination with the Thrane & Thrane broadband platform has enabled us to work with smaller crews and less equipment, which in turn has increased the depth and quality of our breaking news coverage," said Bevan Gibson, head of future technology for Sky News. "We're looking forward to a closer integration of the two systems. This will make it faster and easier for our reporting teams to get set up and focus on what they do best: report news as it unfolds."