Stratos Introduces BGAN Mobile Satellite Service to Japanese Market
BETHESDA, MD, June 20 / - Stratos Global Corp. , the leading global provider of advanced mobile and fixed-site remote communications solutions, today announced it is broadening its established partnership with Japan Digital Communications (JDC) to introduce the Inmarsat BGAN mobile satellite service to the Japanese market.
Stratos is the world's largest distributor of Inmarsat's BGAN (Broadband Global Area Network) service, which uses lightweight terminals to provide simultaneous, high-speed data (up to 492 kbps) and voice connectivity virtually anywhere in the world. Tokyo-based JDC is one of Japan's leading providers of satellite equipment and services.
At an Inmarsat-sponsored event in Tokyo May 29th attended by more than 250 business and government leaders, officials from Stratos and JDC announced they have obtained a license from the Japanese government to provide the BGAN service on Japanese soil. BGAN is available now from Stratos and JDC in South Japan. Stratos and JDC will make BGAN available throughout Japan upon the launch of the third I-4 communications satellite, for which Inmarsat is seeking a 2008 launch.
Since Inmarsat's official introduction of its BGAN service in December 2005, the service has been available to Japanese customers from Stratos and JDC, but only for use outside Japan.
BGAN from Stratos has been widely adopted by military & NGO agencies, media organizations and first responders that need dependable, secure voice and broadband access in locations with unreliable or non-existent telecommunications infrastructure.
In Japan, JDC expects to meet demand for BGAN from government agencies, first responders and media organizations seeking advanced remote communications solutions, including use in the aftermath of natural disasters. JDC also anticipates strong demand for BGAN from Japanese military agencies for ground command-center applications.
"Partnering with Stratos enables us to provide Japanese customers with the most comprehensive BGAN product and service offering available," said JDC President Yuji Takei. "We look forward to working with Stratos to develop customized BGAN solutions to meet a variety of mission-critical applications for leading Japanese businesses and government agencies."
Stratos now boasts BGAN customers in 185 countries, which cover 95 percent of the BGAN footprint. These customers fully utilize the Stratos Advantage, a suite of value-added services that help make BGAN usage more productive and affordable.
With the benefit of the Stratos Advantage, BGAN from Stratos is elevated far above baseline BGAN services. The value-added services provide users with cost control, firewall management, full traffic information, pre-paid facilities, high security options, easy VPN access, messaging services and full IP range.
Gerbrand Schalkwijk, Stratos' vice president, Asia Pacific, said, "With more than 3,500 activations to date, we have had many opportunities to witness BGAN's exceptional performance in the world's most remote locations. It is gratifying to help bring BGAN to the Japanese market via our long-established partnership with JDC."
About Stratos
Stratos, with over a century of service, is the world's trusted leader for vital communications, offering the most powerful and extensive portfolio of remote communications products, including mobile and fixed satellite and microwave services. Stratos' more than 20,000 customers use our services on seven continents and across the world's oceans. Stratos serves U.S. and international government, military, first responder, NGO, oil and gas, industrial, maritime, aeronautical, enterprise, and media users. For more information visit www.stratosglobal.com.
Source: Stratos Global Corporation
CONTACT: Sue Keith, (703) 980-9802, sue.keith@stratosglobal.com
