Satlink Email is the World Leader in Email Services for Inmarsat-C Users.

The service requires you to have Satlink's ShipSide software ... provided free of charge ... running on your PC and connected to your Inmarsat-C unit. SatLink software allows you to run your favourite Email package (Microsoft Outlook, Exchange or Mail), and uses compression routines to compact the email to a fraction of its original size. Because Inmarsat-C transmission costs are costed by the amount of data sent, the compression feature of Satlink's ShipSide Email means substantial savings.... as much as 1/5th of the cost of sending the same message by standard Inmarsat-C messaging methods.

Email that is received from the Internet is compressed and sent out to the ship, where Satlink's ShipSide software uncompresses the Email and presents it to your favourite Email package (Microsoft Outlook, Exchange or Mail). Similarly, the Satlink Gateway accepts incoming Inmarsat-C Email from a ship, uncompresses the mail and then routes it through the Internet to the destination address.

The Satlink Gateway is a registered Internet Provider. Thus, as an example, if you wish to send Email from your office to a ship, then by addressing the mail to: ShipName@sat.com.au the mail will be sent to the Ship's Inmarsat-C unit. Satlink maintains a directory of ship names and the corresponding Inmarsat-C mobile numbers.

Similarly the Ship can send Email to an Internet user simply by addressing the mail to the users Email address.

By registering your ship with Satlink Email, you will be sent a free copy of Satlink's ShipSide Software. Two monthly plans are available which entitles the ship to use our Email service. Inmarsat-C charges do apply and are itemised in our schedule of rates.

Features of Satlink's ShipSide Software:

• You use your favorite MAPI based Email package such as Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Exchange or Microsoft Mail complete with:
  • address books,
  • short cuts and
  • file attachements.
• Compresses all information (header, message and attachments) before sending.
• Decompresses incoming header, message and attachments.
• Allow you to access all incoming Email and is not limited to registered Email users.
• You take financial responsibility for Email in both directions, restricted to a credit limit.
• The ShipSide Software notifies you when the credit limit is about to be exceeded.
• You are notified of Email waiting to be downloaded from the Gateway to the ship.
• You can delete junk Email from the Gateway without receiving it.

Specification:

The ShipSide Email Software is supplied on a 31/2 floppy as a standalone system or can come packaged with the OceanVision system which provides an electronic tactical navigation system as backdrop to the above Email system.

Currently the software supports the Trimble Galaxy and Thrane & Thrane Inmarsat-C units and runs on Win 95 /98 /NT.

1. For Email originating from an Internet source, the ship is notified that:
   • A message is waiting at the Satlink Gateway
   • The message size
   • Who has sent it
   • The message subject
     
     
   There is a notification fee for this information. From the ship you can then decide whether you wish to receive the message, and if so, the Email is sent to the ship by the Gateway. The benefit is that you can filter out unwanted Email by not downloading it, and signifies that you wish to be charged for the Email that you do download.

2. Corporations can register their "sender's address" with Satlink Email Pty Ltd, in which case, Email originating from the "sender's address" will be forwarded directly to the ship, and billed to the corporation.
   
   A fail-safe has been placed into the system, such that each user operates within a credit limit. This helps to avoid accidentally sending large files. And if they are sent, then the amount of liability is restricted. Thus the SatLink Gateway maintains a credit limit resident on each ShipSide system and which maintains a running account of Email costs.