Service provides communication solution for crew members.
Press Release Summary:
Combining AmosConnect and ChatCard, AmosConnect Crew Service enables personnel at sea to stay in contact with home via calling, email, and SMS. Individuals can be assigned personal mailbox plus international SMS number, which can be used on any ship and on shore. AmosConnect Crew will not interfere with vessel's business communications, and onboard virus security is assured as service operates via vessel-independent email reference domain.
Original Press Release:
AmosConnect Crew: An All-in-One Communication Solution
-Single ChatCard allows crew members to access three modes of communication-
BETHESDA, MD, June 15 -- Xantic, together with Stratos Global Corp. (TSX: SGB), a leading global communications provider, today announced the launch of AmosConnect Crew, an all-in-one communication solution for crew members. Combining AmosConnect and ChatCard, two of Xantic's successful services, AmosConnect Crew enables personnel at sea to stay in contact with home via calling, email and SMS at low cost rates.
The new service means crew members only need one prepaid ChatCard to access all three modes of communication. In addition, individuals can be assigned a personal mail box plus an international SMS number which can be used on any ship and on shore. Emails and SMS messages can be sent at a low cost and receipt of SMS messages and email is free of charge. Along with the pre-paid aspect of the service, AmosConnect Crew means users can easily manage their own communications budget.
"AmosConnect Crew was originally developed in response to requests from ship managers who wanted an all-in-one crew communication solution that would run entirely separate from the business communication onboard their vessels," said Jim Parm, Stratos' president and chief executive officer. "This new service will allow crew members to do just that. They can send and receive pre- paid email and SMS messages utilizing their own private mail box while managing their personal accounts."
"There is no doubt that Wallem Ship Management's crews will benefit greatly from a communications package offering them voice, SMS and email capabilities in a single solution," said Ian Parkes, Group IS Manager at Wallem Services Ltd. "And WSM will also benefit as we can easily incorporate this functionality into our overall vessel communications configuration to support an integrated, cost-effective and forward-looking strategy. The ability to tailor the solution to provide crew with a free email service as part of our Wallem Crew Connect initiative is seen as a particularly important aspect of our overall strategy. The time is right for crew communications to move up to the next level, and we have been impressed with the way Stratos and their partners at SMS Global have responded to our ideas and incorporated many of them into this solution."
The roll out process via self- extracting files is easy and AmosConnect Crew will not interfere with the vessel's business communications. Onboard virus security is assured as the service operates via a vessel-independent email reference domain.
AmosConnect, the backbone for the new AmosConnect Crew service, is recognized as the maritime email standard, integrating vessel and office applications. Xantic's ChatCard service offers one prepaid web-enabled calling card for all Inmarsat voice and Iridium services.
To celebrate the launch of this new service, the company is running a promotional offer, which is valid until October 1, 2006. Each crew member registering for AmosConnect Crew will be given 15 free messages and another five free messages with their first reload. More information on this promotional offer and on AmosConnect Crew generally is available on Xantic's website: http://www.xantic.net/amosconnectcrew.
About Xantic, Together with Stratos
On February 14, 2006, Xantic was acquired by Stratos Global Corporation (www.stratosglobal.com) to form the leading global provider of advanced mobile and fixed-site remote communications solutions for users operating beyond the reach of traditional networks. With owned-and-operated infrastructure and an extensive portfolio of industry-leading satellite and microwave technologies (including Inmarsat, Iridium, Globalstar, MSAT, VSAT, and others), Stratos and Xantic serve the voice and high-speed data connectivity requirements of a diverse array of markets, including government, military, energy, industrial, maritime, aeronautical, enterprise, media and recreational users throughout the world.
CONTACT: Scott Hoyt, Chief Marketing Officer, Scott.hoyt@stratosglobal.com, (301) 968-1923
