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Land Data
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Service Plans / Land Data
Land Satellite Data Plans By Network
Choosing a land data plan starts with the terminal you already own or plan to buy: BGAN, OpenPort, Land Xpress and Certus - Land each run on different hardware and cover different needs, from a laptop-sized case in a disaster zone to a fixed dish running video and cloud apps all day.
Start here
How to choose a land data plan
Start with the terminal, not the plan. Airtime only works on the network it was built for, so an Inmarsat BGAN plan will not activate on an Iridium OpenPort terminal. Once the hardware is fixed, match the plan to how much data the job actually uses in a typical week, not a best case.
Step 1
Match the plan to the terminal you have
BGAN plans only activate on Inmarsat terminals such as the EXPLORER 510 or 710. OpenPort plans only run on Iridium OpenPort hardware. Land Xpress needs a Global Xpress Ka-band terminal, and Certus - Land needs Iridium NEXT compatible hardware such as the Thales MissionLINK. Buy the terminal first from satellite internet terminals, then pick the airtime that matches it.
Step 2
Estimate a typical week, not a best case
Email with small attachments, position reports and browsing fit inside a small monthly allowance. Video calls, large file transfers and always-on cloud tools use data far faster than most people expect. Add up what the job actually sends and receives in a normal week, then size the plan to that, with room for one heavier week rather than the average one.
Step 3
Decide between monthly, prepaid, or a fixed term
Monthly plans renew until cancelled and suit ongoing operations. Prepaid plans carry a fixed unit balance with an expiry date and suit seasonal or occasional use where a contract does not make sense. Land Xpress and Certus - Land are often sold on set terms, so check the plan length before assuming it renews automatically.
Step 4
Check coverage against where the work happens
BGAN and Land Xpress run on Inmarsat's geostationary network, which covers global landmasses and coastal waters outside the extreme polar regions. OpenPort and Certus - Land run on Iridium's low earth orbit constellation, which covers the whole planet including both poles. A crew working above the Arctic Circle needs Iridium-based airtime, not an Inmarsat plan.
Choose a network
Land Data plans by network
BGAN
InmarsatFor: Field teams who need a compact, grab-and-go terminal with worldwide reach outside the poles.
Not for: Teams who need near-terrestrial speeds for video conferencing or heavy cloud use should look at Land Xpress instead.
Plans: Monthly plans from 20 MB to 2 GB, Bgan Flex plans from 100 MB to 30 GB, and prepaid blocks from 50 to 5000 units.
View BGAN plans →OpenPort
IridiumFor: Fixed installations and vessels that need Iridium's pole-to-pole coverage for data, voice, or both.
Not for: Teams that need broadband speeds for video or large file transfers should look at Land Xpress or Certus - Land instead.
Plans: Data plans from 0 MB to 5 GB, voice plans from 120 to 1200 minutes, and combined data and voice plans up to 750 MB and 2500 minutes.
View OpenPort plans →Global Xpress
Global Xpress (Inmarsat Ka-band)For: Teams that need speeds approaching a terrestrial office connection for video, cloud apps, or live surveillance.
Not for: Occasional users who only need email and position reports should look at BGAN instead.
Plans: Land Xpress Plans with committed rates from 1024 down and 1024 up kbps to 8192 down and 4096 up kbps, across Group 1 and Group 2 coverage.
View Global Xpress plans →Certus - Land
Iridium NEXTFor: Operations that need Iridium's global broadband, including polar routes, for both data and voice.
Not for: Teams that never leave Inmarsat coverage and want the lowest entry data size should compare BGAN's smaller monthly plans first.
Plans: Plans from 10 MB to 500 MB, offered on set terms of 3 or 12 months.
View Certus - Land plans →Side by side
Land data networks side by side
| BGAN | OpenPort | Land Xpress | Certus - Land | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coverage | Global landmasses and coastal waters outside the extreme polar regions | The whole planet, including both poles | Global landmasses and coastal waters outside the extreme polar regions | The whole planet, including both poles |
| Speed class | Up to 492 kbps | 32 to 128 kbps data, plus voice | 1024 to 8192 kbps down | Broadband data and voice |
| Plan types | Monthly, Flex, regional, emergency, and prepaid | Data, dynamic shared data, voice, and combined data and voice | Committed rate plans by coverage group | Fixed data plans on set terms |
| Best for | Portable field use and disaster response | Fixed or vessel installations needing pole-to-pole reach | Video, cloud apps, and live streaming from a fixed site | Global broadband including polar routes |
| Hardware | EXPLORER 510 and 710 terminals | Iridium OpenPort terminals | Kymeta and other Global Xpress terminals | Thales MissionLINK and other Certus terminals |
Popular picks
Plans people start with
Popular Bgan Flex plans
The Bgan Flex Plan line covers the middle ground between a small monthly allowance and a full Land Xpress connection, with sizes built for data use that grows month to month.
OpenPort voice plans
OpenPort's Voice Service plans give a fixed or vessel installation phone-style calling on the same Iridium network as its data service, sized from occasional use up to heavy daily calling.
BGAN or OpenPort: two different networks, two different jobs
BGAN and OpenPort both serve portable and semi-fixed field work, but they sit on different networks with different strengths. BGAN runs on Inmarsat's geostationary satellites, giving speeds up to 492 kbps that suit email with attachments, compressed video and remote server access, the kind of work done by journalists, disaster response teams and remote industry crews. OpenPort runs on Iridium's low earth orbit constellation instead, trading some speed for coverage that reaches both poles and voice service alongside data. A team in the high Arctic or Antarctic needs OpenPort or Certus - Land; elsewhere, either network works on terminal grounds alone.
When BGAN is not fast enough
Some jobs outgrow BGAN's speed ceiling. Video conferencing, cloud-based applications and live surveillance streaming all need more consistent throughput than a narrowband link can offer. Land Xpress answers that gap with Ka-band VSAT service that approaches a terrestrial office connection, at committed rates running from 1024 kbps up to 8192 kbps download. It suits mobile command centres, temporary offices and any site running always-on applications rather than occasional messages. The tradeoff is a larger, fixed-mount terminal rather than a grab-and-go case, so it fits a vehicle or a set location better than a backpack.
Coverage at the poles
Inmarsat's geostationary satellites, the network behind BGAN and Land Xpress, do not reach the extreme polar regions. Iridium's low earth orbit constellation, the network behind OpenPort and Certus - Land, covers the whole planet including both poles. Anyone planning work above the Arctic Circle or in Antarctica should choose Iridium-based airtime for that reason alone, regardless of which network suits the rest of the operation. For general orientation on how these networks compare, see the plans hub, or check current activation timelines at support.satmodo.com.
Questions
Land Data plan questions, answered
Not covered here? The help centre has dialing guides, activation steps and coverage maps for every network.
Help centreNo. Airtime is network-specific, so a BGAN plan only activates on Inmarsat hardware such as an EXPLORER terminal. An Iridium OpenPort terminal needs an OpenPort plan, and an Iridium NEXT terminal needs a Certus - Land plan. Buying the plan and the terminal from mismatched networks means the SIM will not activate at all, so confirm the terminal model before choosing airtime.
Not sure which network fits the job
Terminal choice, coverage area and typical weekly data use settle most land data decisions on their own. If two networks still look equally workable, call (800) 279-2366 and describe the job: where it happens, what data it sends, and whether voice matters, and the right plan becomes obvious.
Every plan
All Land Data plans
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