Stratos Introduces
BGAN Mobile Satellite Service to Japanese Market
(20 June 2007) 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 kb/s) 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 organisations 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 organisations
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-centre
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 utilise 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.
(source: Stratos Global)