Inmarsat collaborates with Aces

Companies to work together to cover Asian satellite phone market

Mobile satellite services operator Inmarsat and Asian hand-held voice satellite services firm ACeS International Limited (ACeS) have today anonounced collaboration arrangements to offer hand-held and fixed voice services.

The move will initially target the Asian market by combining satellite resources and generating extended coverage in 2007 .

Inmarsat will assume reposnsibility for satellite and network operations, wholsale service provision and service development. ACeS will focus on distribution of mobile satellite services (MSS) products in the Asian land and maritime markets.

Andrew Sukawaty, Chairman and chief executive of Inmarsat said: 'Leveraging our Inmarsat-4 satellites and network of distribution partners, we expect to roll out a global Inmarsat hand-held service within two years.'

Inmarsat plans to expand geographic coverage for the hand-held service in early 2007 using the exiting Inmarsat-4 satellite covering Asia and further intends to deploy a fully global service within two years. To enable expanded coverage using the existing Inmarsat-4 satellites, Inmarsat will undertake a process of network upgrades and an acclerated modernization of the ACeS R190 hand-held satellite phone.

To support a global hand-held service and to achieve global coverage for BGAN and new broadband maritime and aeronautical services, Inmarsat plans to launch the third Inmarsat-4 satellite and will target a launch date in late 2007. The satellite is built and in storage. Inmarsat expects that the cost of launching the satellite will be in the region of 130 to 150 million dollars.

The company expects to incur capital expendutires of approximately 40 to 45 million dollars over two years for ground infrastructure and development of the phone. Inmarsat has today announced its intention to launch the third Inmarsat-4 satellite.

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