Inmarsat Opens D.C. Office

Inmarsat Ventures plc., announced the opening of their first U.S.-based operations with an office located in Washington, D.C. Inmarsat will execute their North American operations strategy through the new office following the October 2001 legislation extending the ORBIT Act deadline for the company's initial public offering, and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ruling granting access rights for several Inmarsat partners. The legislation and FCC ruling will enable businesses in the U.S. to benefit from Inmarsat's robust and reliable high-speed data and voice communications services through Inmarsat partners.

As a former Intergovernmental Organization, Inmarsat was restricted from conducting business in mainland United States except in the coastal waters around the country and in the skies overhead under the terms of the ORBIT Act of 2000. The October FCC ruling grants several Inmarsat partners the rights to provide Inmarsat services in the U.S. with immediate effect. The Washington DC office will include Alan Auckenthaler, vice president of The Americas for Inmarsat Inc., and Robert Demers, director government accounts for Inmarsat Inc. The new office will also be responsible for interfacing with the U.S. government on strategic satellite communications policy. Inmarsat's existing North American partners include: Stratos and Telenor Satellite Services Inc. (formerly Comsat) who offer land-based Inmarsat services including 64kbit/s mobile ISDN Global Area Network (GAN) services; Honeywell and SITA who offer aeronautical services; and John Deere for agricultural tracking solutions. Inmarsat has also opened a Miami office to service their Latin American operations in the coming months and years.