MILPITAS, Calif., Sept. 7, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Globalstar, Inc. (Nasdaq:GSAT), a leading provider of mobile satellite voice and data services to businesses, government, and consumers, today announced October 19th as the scheduled inaugural launch date for six new second-generation Globalstar satellites using the highly reliable Soyuz launch vehicle. All six Globalstar satellites are currently undergoing pre-launch assembly, integration and testing at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
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"In just 42 days we plan to begin launching and deploying our second-generation satellite constellation, years ahead of our primary competition," said Tony Navarra, President, Global Operations for Globalstar, Inc. "Once the new constellation is fully deployed next year, we expect that competitive advantage will have expanded to as many as six years or more. We will also once again reliably provide the world's finest quality mobile satellite voice and fastest mobile satellite handset data services to commercial and government customers in more than 120 countries. Combined with our affordable and award-winning suite of consumer retail SPOT products, Globalstar will unquestionably offer the world's most extensive lineup of high quality mobile satellite services to the broadest range of commercial and retail consumer customers around the globe."
A total of four launches carrying six satellites each will be conducted by launch services provider Arianespace using the Soyuz launch vehicle which has been used to successfully launch Globalstar satellites on eight previous occasions. The Company plans to integrate the 24 new second-generation satellites with the eight first-generation satellites that were launched in 2007, to form a 32 satellite constellation. The new constellation is expected to secure Globalstar's space segment beyond 2025.
Once the six new Globalstar satellites are in operational orbit, the most immediate service improvement will benefit those customers who use the Company's voice and Duplex data services. With each subsequent launch, these customers can expect a progressive return to the high reliability and service quality enjoyed before 2007.
Once fully deployed the advanced second-generation constellation and next-generation ground network are designed to provide Globalstar customers with enhanced services featuring increased data speeds of up to 256 kbps in a flexible Internet protocol multimedia subsystem (IMS) configuration. Products and services supported are expected to include: push-to-talk and multicasting, advanced messaging capabilities such as multimedia messaging or MMS, mobile video, geo-location services, multi-band and multi-mode handsets, and data devices with GPS integration. The second-generation satellites are also designed to support Globalstar's current lineup of voice, Duplex and Simplex data products and services including the Company's lineup of SPOT retail consumer products.
About Globalstar, Inc.
With over 400,000 subscribers, Globalstar is the world's largest provider of mobile satellite voice and data services. Globalstar offers these services to commercial customers and recreational consumers in more than 120 countries around the world. The Company's products include mobile and fixed satellite telephones, simplex and duplex satellite data modems and flexible service packages. Many land based and maritime industries benefit from Globalstar with increased productivity from remote areas beyond cellular and landline service. Global customer segments include: oil and gas, government, mining, forestry, commercial fishing, utilities, military, transportation, heavy construction, emergency preparedness, and business continuity as well as individual recreational users. Globalstar data solutions are ideal for various asset and personal tracking, data monitoring and SCADA applications.
For more information regarding Globalstar, please visit the Globalstar website at www.globalstar.com.
Safe Harbor Language for Globalstar Releases
This press release contains certain statements such as, "Products and services supported are expected to include: push-to-talk and multicasting, advanced messaging capabilities such as multimedia messaging or MMS, mobile video, geo-location services, multi-band and multi-mode handsets, and data devices with GPS integration," that are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties which may cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements, such as the statements regarding our ability to develop and expand our business, our anticipated capital spending (including for future satellite procurements and launches), our ability to manage costs, our ability to exploit and respond to technological innovation, the effects of laws and regulations (including tax laws and regulations) and legal and regulatory changes, the opportunities for strategic business combinations and the effects of consolidation in our industry on us and our competitors, our anticipated future revenues, our anticipated financial resources, our expectations about the future operational performance of our satellites (including their projected operational lives), the expected strength of and growth prospects for our existing customers and the markets that we serve, commercial acceptance of our new Simplex products, including our SPOT satellite GPS messenger TM products, problems relating to the ground-based facilities operated by us or by independent gateway operators, worldwide economic, geopolitical and business conditions and risks associated with doing business on a global basis and other statements contained in this Report regarding matters that are not historical facts, involve predictions.
Any forward-looking statements made in this press release speak as of the date made and are not guarantees of future performance. Actual results or developments may differ materially from the expectations expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements, and we undertake no obligation to update any such statements. Additional information on factors that could influence our financial results is included in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K as amended by our Current Report on Form 8-K filed June 17, 2010, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K.
