Stratos Introduces BGAN Humanitarian Pricing Plans for First Responders

--New plans offer first responders flexible pricing options for satellite airtime--

BETHESDA, MD, Feb. 1 /PRNewswire/ - Stratos Global, the leading global provider of advanced mobile and fixed-site remote communications solutions, today announced the immediate availability of its new BGAN Humanitarian Pricing plans. The plans offer first responders flexible pricing options for Inmarsat BGAN satellite communications service.

"Most first-responder organizations have sufficient local-office budgets for the purchase of BGAN terminals. During emergency events, such as earthquakes and hurricanes, their satellite airtime is paid by central funds from the agency's headquarters," said Stratos President and CEO Jim Parm. "Our new Humanitarian Pricing plans provide greater flexibility that helps these organizations afford satellite airtime for important BGAN training and testing applications that occur outside of event periods."

Inmarsat BGAN Humanitarian Pricing is available in a variety of formats. Stratos plans are among the most attractive, as they offer a monthly paid option under an annual commitment. This enables humanitarian organizations to utilize their monthly operating-expense budgets for airtime fees, while using the BGAN airtime allowance at any time during the annual period. The Stratos plans are available for groups with as few as 10 BGAN units.

BGAN (Broadband Global Area Network) uses highly portable, lightweight terminals to provide simultaneous, high-speed IP data (up to 492 kbps) and voice connectivity anywhere in the world.

In addition to thousands of media organizations, military agencies, energy companies and remote professionals, many first responders utilize BGAN from Stratos for communications in areas where terrestrial or cellular networks are damaged, congested or non-existent. Those first responders include the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency. First responders deploying BGAN make full use of Stratos' value-added services known as The Stratos Advantage, which enable them to monitor airtime, restrict unauthorized usage, and manage costs.

Parm concluded, "By combining our flexible Humanitarian Pricing plans with the effective management of Stratos Dashboard to control BGAN costs, Stratos offers first responders the world's most economical BGAN solution available."

First-responder organizations can learn more about BGAN Humanitarian Pricing by contacting their Stratos account manager. These new pricing plans are available to first-responder organizations and humanitarian agencies on an individual basis and are subject to prior Inmarsat approval.

About BGAN from Stratos
Since its introduction in late 2005, BGAN from Stratos has been widely adopted by media organizations, military agencies, first responders and professionals in many other industries worldwide. Stratos is one of the world's largest BGAN distributors, with more than 14,000 BGAN activations in 185 countries. Those customers fully utilize The Stratos Advantage, a suite of value-added services that help make BGAN usage more productive and affordable.

With the benefit of The Stratos Advantage, BGAN from Stratos is elevated far above baseline BGAN services. These value-added services, including Stratos Dashboard for BGAN, provide users with cost control, firewall management, full traffic information, pre-paid facilities, high security options, easy VPN access, messaging services and a full range of IP options. More information on BGAN from Stratos is available at www.thepowerofbgan.com.

About Stratos
Stratos is the world's trusted leader for vital communications. Stratos offers the most powerful and extensive portfolio of remote communications solutions including mobile and fixed satellite and microwave services. More than 20,000 customers use Stratos products and industry-leading value-added services to optimize communications performance. Stratos serves U.S. and international government, military, first responder, NGO, oil and gas, industrial, maritime, aeronautical, enterprise, and media users on seven continents and across the world's oceans. Stratos is a wholly owned subsidiary of Inmarsat plc. For more information, visit www.stratosglobal.com.

SOURCE Stratos Global Corporation