Network access provider iPass will today announce a partnership with Inmarsat that adds satellite communications to the range of data connection options available to iPass subscribers.

While iPass already enables access to numerous cellular networks and Wi-Fi hotspots via a single software client, Inmarsat’s broadband global area network (BGAN) service provides coverage of 85 percent of the global landmass via a satellite link. The deal will take effect some time in the second quarter of 2007, iPass said.

Stephen Dane, iPass director for the UK and Eire, said that BGAN access would prove useful for industries such as the media, aid agencies, charities and oil and gas exploration workers, although it is unlikely to be widely adopted.

To access the service, users will need an Inmarsat satellite terminal, which supports upload and download data speeds of up to 492kbit/s.