Page 62: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (April 2000)

Satellite Communications

Iridium service to be available after 11:59 p.m. EST on March 17." The notice, which appeared on Motorola's

Web site, also suggested its customers to explore other services, such as Global- star should they want to continue satel- lite service.

Quick thinking and decisive planning already had Globalstar on its feet even prior to the March 17 blackout date. The company's distributors had already implemented aggressive promotions tar- geted to the estimated 55,000 Iridium customers. One distributor was even boasting an offer where Iridium cus- tomers could trade in their now-useless phones for $495 toward a Globalstar system. Globalstar flaunts a selection of products that are maritime industry-spe- cific. From the small vessel owner, all the way up to the world's largest cruise ship - Globalstar's satellite service func- tion can provide voice and data commu- nications from as much as 200 miles off- 58

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Small vessel owners are likely to favor the GSP-1600 tri-mode handset. Due to its crisp digital voice function, this portable hand-held unit can be used as an emergency communications alterna- tive should the onboard radio fail. Used on small fishing boats as a weather mon- itoring device, the product, which weighs a little more than I 1 ounces, can easily be switched from cellular to satel- lite mode. The company also touts a maritime fixed phone that is similar to its hands-free car kit. Priced at $999, the

GCK 1400 is designed for use with the tri-mode phone. The Qualcomm-manu- factured unit is specially weatherized for added protection against water dam- age.

While Globalstar's maritime base con- stitutes for just 15 percent of its busi- ness, the company is working to boost that number with promotional events sponsored by renowned maritime orga- nizations such as Raytheon. Standing firmly on the fact that Globalstar ser- vices are marketed to many niches rather than one mass market, therefore there is no "average customer." The company reaches out to not only vessel owners and operators, but to a division that works to support the maritime world - the oil and gas industry. Those located at offshore drilling rigs and remote drilling locations can look to

Globalstar to provide them with a com- municable device to provide their home offices with project reports and updates, mainly through Globalstar's GSP 2800/2900, which can be placed on a wall or desk. Ideal for use in remote areas, where drilling rigs are typically located, this model is priced at $2,499.

In addition, larger vessels, typically cruise ships can connect to their internal

PBX system for outside voice access at homeport - a cost-effective way to keep the lines of communications open on both ends.

Touting three domestic pricing plans based on a monthly service charge, as well as fees for satellite connection and utilization, Globalstar U.S.A. has devel- oped each plan with various needs in mind, beginning with the Beyond Basic

Plan. At $29.99 per month, users will pay a cost of $1.69 per minute for satel- lite airtime, while the Beyond 100 Plan is $169.99 per month including 100 minutes of satellite airtime with addi- tional minutes costing $1.49. For more reliant users, the Beyond 250 Plan runs at $369.99 with 250 minutes airtime - additional minutes are $1.39. Offered by

GUSA agents, and set by GUSA resellers according to market conditions, these fees are non-inclusive of interna- tional long distance charges.

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