Stratos and SMS
Global Introduce Short Message System (SMS) and Text E-mail for Maritime
Crews
(14 July 2005) Stratos Global
Corp., the leading global provider of Inmarsat mobile satellite services, and
SMS Global, Ltd., have introduced SMSCrewMail, a new prepaid short message
system (SMS) and text e-mail service for maritime crewmembers seeking a
cost-effective way to stay in touch with family and friends while at
sea.
SMS messaging is an option available on digital GSM
networks, which allows text messages of up to 160 characters to be sent and
received via the network operator's message centre to mobile phones, or from
the Internet, using an SMS gateway website. If the phone receiving an SMS
message is powered off or out of range, messages are stored in the network and
are delivered at the next opportunity. SMSCrewMail also allows maritime crews
to send text e-mails up to 460 characters.
With SMSCrewMail as part of
StratosOne and StratosNet, crewmembers can send and receive SMS and text e-mail
messages using most Inmarsat satellite platforms, including
Inmarsat-A/-B/-M/mini-M/R-BGAN/GAN and Fleet, as well as Iridium and
Marinesat/Landsat. It is also easy for a GSM or other e-mail user to reply to
messages, as crewmembers are assigned a GSM number and a standard e-mail
address.
Sending an SMS message or text e-mail from a maritime vessel
deducts one credit from the prepaid card, but receiving messages is free of
charge, so loved ones can send unlimited messages to crewmembers without
worrying about the cost being deducted from the prepaid card.
"SMS
messaging is an increasingly popular way for users of mobile phones to
communicate with friends and family," said Scott Hoyt, Stratos' senior vice
president and chief marketing officer. "Stratos is proud to partner with SMS
Global to include SMSCrewMail as part of our industry-leading StratosOne and
StratosNet services. Now, in conjunction with our prepaid calling cards,
maritime crewmembers can use SMS, e-mail, and voice calls, as cost-effective
ways to keep in touch with loved ones on shore via satellite."
"On the
average, seafarers spend approximately 20 days each month in the middle of a
vast ocean with their only means of communication being the existing
communications systems on the ship," said Arnt Pettersen, president of SMS
Global. "By combining SMSCrewMail with Stratos' shipboard satellite
communications solutions, we can provide an efficient and innovative system
that makes personal communications for crews simple, available and
affordable."
SMSCrewMail is included at no extra cost to vessels using
StratosOne and StratosNet. Messages generated from crewmembers are simply sent
to the outbox of the onboard StratosOne or StratosNet e-mail client, and then
delivered when the vessel connects to its e-mail service.
StratosOne
is an all-in-one messaging solution that provides a low-cost, efficient and
reliable platform for satellite-based maritime messaging and communications.
With StratosOne, maritime users have access to a unified software solution that
provides a single system to support all of their messaging needs, including
e-mail, fax, telex and SMS messaging. StratosOne features an easy-to-use
Windows-based interface, advanced SPAM filters and virus protection, and
supports file attachments. The service also supports multiple e-mail addresses
for maritime crews, with on-board billing, and provides optional access to
up-to-date weather, news and sports information.
StratosNet is an
integrated Internet service for mobile satellite users optimised for
cost-effective communications over Inmarsat, Iridium and MSAT (MSV) satellite
networks. Unlike conventional terrestrial Internet Service Providers (ISPs),
Stratos has tailored its service to meet the unique requirements of mobile
satellite users, operating at speeds as low as 2.4 kb/s, and up to 128 kb/s and
higher. StratosNet offers built-in compression, Web access, Internet e-mail,
file transfer protocol (FTP) capabilities, and advanced SPAM and virus
protection that leads the industry.
About Stratos
Stratos
Global Corporation is a publicly traded company and the leading global provider
of a wide range of advanced mobile and fixed-site remote communications
solutions for users operating beyond the reach of traditional networks. With
its owned-and-operated infrastructure and extensive portfolio of
industry-leading satellite and microwave technologies (including Inmarsat,
Iridium, Globalstar, MSAT, VSAT, and others), Stratos serves 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.
(source: Stratos Global)