Bangkok--Jun 9--Spark Communications
Unveils roadmap for next generation satellite services at Inmarsat Asia Pacific Partner Conference 2005 in Bangkok
Inmarsat, the leading provider of global mobile satellite communications, today outlined the roadmap for its next generation satellite service, Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN), in preparation for its launch later this year. When commercially available, BGAN will offer productivity and mobility benefits to the government and corporate sector in Thailand, along with the rest of the Asia Pacific region.
Inmarsat also announced the successful implementation of Phase 1 of Thailand’s national tsunami early warning system in Phuket. The first site is at Patong beach, Phuket, which was badly affected by the devastating tsunami that struck Southeast Asia on 26 December 2004. The system, enabled via the Inmarsat satellite network, is programmed to alert the relevant authorities in the event of an impending disaster.
Commenting on the company’s plans for BGAN, Paul Griffith, Vice President for Portfolio Management and Marketing at Inmarsat, said: “This is a very exciting time for Inmarsat, as we are driving the evolution of mobile satellite communications. We see tremendous opportunity in Thailand, as a nation with a diverse geography and a proactive government, to offer connectivity to mobile users to increase productivity and efficiency.”
Richard Denny, Vice President of Satellite and Network Operations at Inmarsat added, “Inmarsat has recently completed the successful launch of the first Inmarsat-4 satellite. The size of a double-decker bus, and weighing about six tones, the satellite is 60 times more powerful and has 16 times more capacity than its predecessors, the Inmarsat-3.”
“Inmarsat has committed an investment of US$1.5 billion to build this next-generation satellite network that will impact Thailand and the rest of Asia Pacific as well,” he said.
The first Inmarsat-4 (I-4) satellite was launched on 11 March 2005 from Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA. After successfully completing a complex series of tests and manoeuvres, the satellite was moved into its operational position at 64? East, above the Indian Ocean. The seamless handover of communications traffic from the I-3 to the I-4 satellite took place at 20:00 hours on 28 May 2005.
Inmarsat plans to launch a second I-4 satellite by the end of 2005, which will be located over the Atlantic Ocean to provide service for the Americas. The two I-4 satellites will then cover 85 per cent of the world's land mass.
By the end of the year, Inmarsat plans to launch BGAN, an IP and circuit-switched service that will offer voice telephony and a sophisticated range of high-bandwidth services, including internet access, videoconferencing, LAN and other services, at speeds of up to 492kbps. BGAN is ideal for users who need to take their office environment with them when they travel beyond the comfort zone of reliable modern telecoms. It is for executives and travellers who need access to key services such as voice, email and Internet, wherever they go — especially where terrestrial networks are poor or non-existent.
Offering simultaneous voice and broadband data, BGAN is set to be the breakthrough service that takes mobile satellite communications to a new level of performance and usability. It will extend the boundaries of the 'broadband mobile office', which emerging 3G services have only just started to deliver.
Research firm Gartner expects mobile data service revenue to grow by a compound annual rate of 18.5 percent during the next five years in the Asia Pacific and Japan region to reach US$38 billion in 2007 .
Inmarsat Asia Pacific Partner Conference
Over 200 leaders from the global telecommunications industry are expected in Bangkok for the annual Inmarsat Asia Pacific Partner Conference, which opens on 9 June 2005, from as far afield as the Americas, Scandinavia and Europe, as well as Asia Pacific.
The Inmarsat Asia Pacific Partner Conference, which runs from 9-10 June 2005, will cover corporate and regional updates, regulatory and licensing issues, marketing, business development, portfolio evolution, security and operational issues. This conference follows an intensive three-day training programme provided by the Inmarsat Training Academy, which offers courses on Inmarsat solutions in separate commercial and technical streams.
This is the second year the event is being held in Bangkok.
Forward-looking Statements
Certain statements in this announcement constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or industry results, to be materially different from those projected in the forward-looking statements. These factors include: general economic and business conditions; changes in technology; timing or delay in signing, commencement, implementation and performance of programmes, or the delivery of products or services under them; structural change in the satellite industry; relationships with customers; competition; and ability to attract personnel. You are cautioned not to rely on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this announcement. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement to reflect any change in our expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances.
About Inmarsat Limited
Inmarsat Ltd owns and operates a unique global mobile satellite network and delivers its communications solutions through a worldwide network of approximately 400 distributors and service providers to the maritime, land and aeronautical sectors in approximately 170 countries.
Inmarsat Ltd has a portfolio of mobile satellite solutions, including voice, fax, intranet and Internet access and other data services.
Inmarsat Ltd has more than 25 years’ experience in designing, implementing and operating satellite networks.
At the end of December 2004 more than 353,000 terminals were registered to access Inmarsat Ltd’s services.
Inmarsat Ltd is also supported by partners in the fields of equipment manufacture, software provision and systems integration.
For more information, please go to http://www.inmarsat.com.
For more information, please contact:
Sonya Madeira John Warehand
EASTWEST Public Relations for Inmarsat Asia Pacific Media Relations Manager,
Inmarsat
Tel: +65 6429 0311 Tel: +44 20 7728 1579
Email: sony[email protected] Email:
[email protected]
Click for photo release at www.thaipr.net End.