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Stratos and Blue Ocean Wireless Join Forces to Offer GSM Service Via FleetBroadband Terminals
Bethesda, Maryland, (September 22, 2009) --New partnership enables convenient bundling of BOW GSM Service from Stratos with FleetBroadband-- --Wallem Shipmanagement upgrades to BOW GSM Service from Stratos-- Bethesda, Maryland (September 22, 2009) - Stratos Global Corporation, the leading global provider of advanced mobile and fixed-site remote communications solutions, today announced it has reached a cooperative distribution agreement with Blue Ocean Wireless (BOW) that will enable ship managers to conveniently deploy GSM service via FleetBroadband terminals. Under the terms of the agreement, Stratos will resell BOW's GSM service to existing Stratos customers, under the brand name BOW GSM Service from Stratos, in combination with other Stratos satellite-based services. Existing BOW customers using BOW's GSM service on Inmarsat F33 can now upgrade to BOW GSM Service from Stratos at attractive rates. The agreement also enables BOW to resell FleetBroadband from Stratos with its GSM solution as part of a bundled service offering to non-Stratos customers. BOW will continue to support its existing GSM customers that use legacy Inmarsat services. BOW GSM Service from Stratos is a dedicated GSM service for crewmembers and officers of merchant ships. It is the first service - using Inmarsat satellites - enabling seafarers to utilize their existing mobile phones onboard merchant ships in deep ocean waters, exactly as they would in port or on land. Stratos today also announced that Wallem Shipmanagement will offer its customers the opportunity to upgrade from Fleet to FleetBroadband with BOW GSM Service from Stratos, adding extra bandwidth and flexibility to meet both crew and commercial requirements. Sixty-five Wallem-managed vessels are now equipped with BOW's GSM service. Wallem has deployed a wide range of Stratos services, on several hundred of the vessels that it manages, since 1994. BOW GSM Service from Stratos is ideally suited as a crew-calling solution, enabling users to receive and place calls and send SMS messages via their own GSM number. The service also provides reliable voice connectivity, enabling ship managers to quickly contact merchant maritime officers. In the future, Stratos expects to expand the capabilities of BOW GSM Service from Stratos to include email and web browsing from the mobile phone. BOW GSM Service from Stratos uses an onboard pico cell, gateway and a FleetBroadband terminal, which also can be used for commercial traffic. Crewmembers and officers pay a per-minute charge for the service, as part of a pre-paid solution. Billing for all crew GSM calls is kept separate from the vessel's commercial airtime. "Partnering with Stratos to develop and market BOW GSM Service from Stratos helps ensure that the maritime industry can quickly benefit from this impressive new communications solution. Together, we will help make life easier and more productive for thousands of seafarers worldwide," said BOW CEO Paul Wallace. "We expect this new agreement will help both companies continue to provide services that assist in the recruitment and retention of qualified seafarers." Stratos President and CEO Jim Parm said, "As demonstrated by Wallem's adoption of our new solution, this new agreement with BOW adds convenience and flexibility to our existing GSM offering." He added, "We are always working closely with our technology and channel partners to help ship managers deploy the most innovative communications solutions. This agreement is further proof of our commitment to enhance our value-added services." About FleetBroadband from Stratos Communications managers will find that FleetBroadband from Stratos can be rapidly deployed across an entire fleet and, as a standard IP service, seamlessly integrated with head-office networks. Terminals operate globally and the user interface is standard across all products. FleetBroadband from Stratos supports any IP service, as well as traditional circuit-switched voice and ISDN data for legacy applications. Terminal costs are relatively low and the network supports all the latest security protocols. About Stratos Maritime Industry Leadership Stratos customers fully utilize the suite of value-added services known as The Stratos Advantage. These services, including Stratos Dashboard, provide users with cost and traffic control, high-usage metering, firewall management, data optimization, real-time traffic overviews, instant remote provisioning, high security options, easy VPN access, messaging services and a full IP range. In addition to offering The Stratos Advantage, Stratos works with application partners to deliver broadband business solutions in key maritime business areas. These solutions include voyage management, remote management, IT management and cargo management, which help reduce fuel and operations costs and improve crew and customer satisfaction. About Blue Ocean Wireless About Stratos |
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