Verizon Business today announced a new portable satellite service aimed at letting multinational businesses carry their communications with them. Through a partnership with Thrane & Thrane, Verizon will enable their business customers to have voice and data systems in the most remote locations of the world.

Verizon Global Broadband Satellite Access uses Inmarsat geostationary satellite coverage and a family of compact, lightweight satellite terminals manufactured by Thrane & Thrane, a Danish company, as well as the air-to-ground interface and radio access earth station that communicates to satellites and connects to the Internet and to the customer’s network, said George Spohn, vice president of Americas sales and marketing for Thrane & Thrane.

The service, which today is used by government units, will enable businesses with remote facilities, such as oil and gas companies, to have both circuit and IP connections to those locations, said Stephanie Souder, product marketing manager for Verizon Business’ emerging technologies group. In addition, it will enable other businesses to deal with business continuity issues and service restoration.

“The employees of the enterprise market are becoming more mobile, but they still need access to information and corporate data as well as the ability to make voice calls,” Souder said. “They need to communicate when they may or may not have cellular networks available. This is particularly important for continuity planning for enterprises.”

In the event of natural or other disasters, cellular networks are often swamped with calls or knocked out of service, she said. By having a relatively low-cost satellite system at hand, a business can maintain communications.