Telenor Broadband Services News

Inmarsat Ltd, the global mobile satellite communications provider unveiled the first product in its Inmarsat Fleet portfolio, Fleet F77 at Europort 2001. family of three, Fleet F77 offers a unique new Mobile ISDN and Mobile Packet Data service for the maritime community delivering voice, fax and data services at speeds of up to 64 kbit/s. maritime distress and safety system (GMDSS) safety standard. With Fleet F77, maritime users will have the flexibility to choose the most cost-efficient two-way communications service for their varying data requirements. The mobile packet data service is a unique maritime solution, charging users only for the data they send and receive, not the time they are connected.

Inmarsat, the original mobile satcom provider for the maritime industry, has been riding the crest of a wave recently, with users at an all-time high, overall 99.9 per cent satellite reliability and the launch of its Fleet F77, Mobile ISDN and Mobile Packet Data services for the maritime community. Ruth Ling reports on what's new and what lies on the horizon. Twenty years ago, a revolution hit the maritime industry. Satellite communications became available to ships at sea. Back in 1982, when Inmarsat began offering onboard satellite communications, its first and only system was Inmarsat A, which offered voice, facsimile, telex and data services. After nine years of successful service and expansion into most maritime sectors, Inmarsat began offering Inmarsat C.

Sait-Stento has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Telenor Broadband Services, a subsidiary of Telenor with plans to sell all of its shares in Sait Communications to Telenor for approximately $28.2 million. The transaction and consideration is subject to due diligence and board approval from the above-mentioned parties. It is estimated that final negotiations are to be completed by the end of February 2001.

Telenor of Norway and Lockheed Martin Global Telecommunications (LMGT) announced that Telenor will acquire LMGT's COMSAT Mobile Communications operations for $116.5 million in cash. The acquisition, which positions Telenor as a major global satellite mobile operator, is subject to regulatory approvals. COMSAT Mobile, with annual revenues in excess of $100 million, provides global mobile communications solutions to the maritime, land mobile and aeronautical communities, and offers data, voice, fax, telex and video capabilities via the Inmarsat satellite constellation. Telenor's purchase of COMSAT Mobile operations also includes two earth station facilities in Southbury, Connecticut, and Santa Paula, California. Linking the two U.S.