Stratos is First to Activate New FleetBroadband Pricing Plan for Single-Vessel Operators and Small Fleets

--New plans meet high data-usage requirements of yachts and other vessels--

BETHESDA, MD, Sept. 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ - Stratos Global, the leading global provider of advanced mobile and fixed-site remote communications solutions, today announced it is the first Inmarsat Distribution Partner to activate Inmarsat's new FleetBroadband Large Money Bundle for single-vessel operators and fleets with fewer than 10 vessels.

The new Large Money Bundles offer the high performance (up to 432kbps), global coverage, simplicity and reliability of Inmarsat FleetBroadband - in addition to The Stratos Advantage value-added services - all at an affordable, fixed monthly rate. The packages include monthly data-connectivity plans as large as 5GB, in addition to highly competitive rates for voice calls.

The new plans meet the increasing data requirements of yachts and other vessels. The plans provide a high level of monthly bandwidth for email, web browsing, social networking, GSM and other popular applications. With these plans, FleetBroadband is available on terminals as small as 25cm.

The first FleetBroadband Large Money Bundle was activated by Stratos Channel Partner e3 Systems (e3) for one of the largest private sailing yachts built by Royal Huisman in Holland.

"These new plans are generating a high level of interest among the yachting community," said e3 Managing Director Roger Horner. "They offer predictable costs, regional and global coverage, flexible usage and payment programs, as well as the added value of The Stratos Advantage services."

Horner added, "We activated the plan onboard the yacht within days of its launch. The yacht's captain now is examining Stratos Dashboard online monitoring tools and Stratos Trench firewall to ensure the highest possible broadband performance, security and cost control. These plans are a perfect solution for sailing yachts, yachts with itineraries outside traditional VSAT footprints and yachts with space and weight restrictions on which it is difficult to install a 1m VSAT antenna."

Stratos President and CEO Jim Parm said, "With its depth of experience and creative approach to electronics integration, e3 is well positioned to bring the benefits of these new FleetBroadband Money Bundles to demanding vessel owners in many key geographic regions. We look forward to working with e3 and our hundreds of other capable Channel Partners to help vessel owners adopt the wide range of flexible pricing programs for which Inmarsat has become well known."

About FleetBroadband from Stratos
FleetBroadband from Stratos provides cost-effective, high-speed data and voice communications - available simultaneously - at speeds up to 432kbps. FleetBroadband from Stratos also provides on-demand guaranteed IP data rates, regardless of the vessel's location. The above-deck, stabilized, compact directional antennas are smaller and less expensive than VSAT solutions.

Stratos' more than 9,000 FleetBroadband activations encompasses all major geographic regions and vessel types, from customers including Wallem Shipmanagement, Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement, Varun Shipping Co., MISC Berhad, Albacora Group, MPC Steamship and the Royal Netherlands Navy.

FleetBroadband also helps Stratos continue to provide ship managers with innovative crew-communications solutions, to support the recruitment and retention of well-trained seafarers. For example, FleetBroadband from Stratos now is available with a pre-paid web-browsing solution and other valuable services.

Communications managers have discovered that FleetBroadband from Stratos can be rapidly deployed across an entire fleet and, as a standard IP service, seamlessly integrated with head-office networks. Terminals operate globally and the user interface is standard across all products. FleetBroadband from Stratos supports any IP service, as well as traditional circuit-switched voice and ISDN data for legacy applications. Terminal costs are relatively low and the network supports all the latest security protocols.

Stratos offers a wide range of value-added services to provide ship managers with optimal communications performance, management control and cost efficiency. Stratos is the largest supplier of mobile satellite services to the maritime industry, with communications to more than 40,000 maritime terminals worldwide. In addition to FleetBroadband, Stratos' industry-leading portfolio of maritime broadband satellite services includes Iridium OpenPort, maritime VSAT services and Inmarsat XpressLink - which combines FleetBroadband with VSAT to provide a highly flexible migration path toward Inmarsat's Global Xpress services.

FleetBroadband from Stratos Features The Stratos Advantage
With the benefit of The Stratos Advantage, FleetBroadband from Stratos is elevated far above baseline FleetBroadband services. The value-added services comprising The Stratos Advantage, including Stratos Dashboard, provide users with cost and traffic control, high-usage metering, firewall management, data optimization, real-time traffic overviews, instant remote provisioning, high security options, easy VPN access, messaging services and a full range of IP options.

In addition to offering The Stratos Advantage, Stratos works with application partners to deliver broadband business solutions in key maritime business areas. These solutions include voyage management, remote management, IT management and cargo management, which help reduce fuel and operations costs and improve crew and customer satisfaction. Maritime customers can secure more information on FleetBroadband from Stratos by calling their Stratos account manager or by visiting www.thepowerofmobilebroadband.com.

About e3 Systems
e3 Systems provides high-quality electronics design, refit, repair and support services for luxury yachts, ships and homes. The Company also specializes in communications integration. With a fully trained team of experts in every aspect of electronics, from manufacturing to government standards, e3 Systems constantly strives to maintain its position at the cutting edge of all new industry developments in electronics - for even the most advanced vessels. e3 Systems is based in Spain and has offices worldwide. For more information, please visit www.e3s.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