Norsat International Inc. (TSX:NII) has received a patent for the technology behind its GlobeTrekker portable satellite communication unit.
The patent covers the design of the unit, which can be used for land-based point-to-point communications or as a ground station to access orbiting communication satellites.
Norsat has also issued two other patents and four patent applications that are pending.
The company claims that GlobeTrekker is one of the world's smallest fully integrated satellite transmitters and can be packed to fit standard airline luggage.
Its system has been used by various media outlets, including Associated Press, Reuters and CBS, and was deployed by media during coverage of the South Asian tsunami, the war in Iraq and terrorist attacks in London and Madrid.
Norsat's share price range during the past week: between $0.81 and $0.89; 52-week high: $1.10; 52-week low: $0.35.