Stratos Opens Global Installation & Service Centers in Four Major Maritime Regions

--New Centers provide complete managed-communications services worldwide--

BETHESDA, MD, Oct. 3, 2011 /PRNewswire/ - Stratos Global, the leading global provider of advanced mobile and fixed-site remote communications solutions, today announced it has expanded its maritime service-delivery capabilities by opening Global Installation & Service Centers (GIS Centers) in four major maritime regions.

The Stratos GIS Centers in Rotterdam, Hong Kong, Singapore and Lafayette, Louisiana provide complete managed-communications services for ship owners and ship-management companies worldwide.

The GIS Centers are staffed with fully trained Stratos Field Engineers who can draw upon a network of certified Stratos Installation Partners to provide installation, onboard maintenance and ongoing support for the Stratos portfolio of satellite-based communications products. The portfolio includes Inmarsat's XpressLink, FleetBroadband and GSM Oceanwide services, as well as VSAT services and the AmosConnect family of communications applications.

"We always have taken great pride in providing our maritime customers with the industry's highest levels of service deployment and ongoing support," said Ronald Spithout, Stratos Senior Vice President, Sales, Marketing and Service. "With the new Stratos GIS Centers, we are expanding our ability to provide truly managed services to the maritime community around the globe."

Spithout concluded, "Customers have been relying on us for many years to provide their satellite communications services. They now can count on a more global approach for installations, maintenance and support for our evolving maritime broadband portfolio. By relying on expertise from a single provider, shipping and ship-management companies can achieve maximum benefit from their communications investment."

Paramount Service for Every Global Region

The new Stratos GIS Center in Lafayette, Louisiana serves the port of Houston and the Americas. The Center in Rotterdam serves all major ports in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. The Centers in Hong Kong and Singapore serve all major ports in Asia. Stratos Field Engineers also are stationed and ready to quickly manage deployments in: St. John's, Newfoundland; Aberdeen, Scotland; and all major ports in those regions.

In addition to Stratos Field Engineers, Global Installation & Service will be provided through the global network of certified, third-party Stratos Installation Partners whose work is regularly reviewed by Stratos to ensure conformity with Stratos Service Level Agreements and industry leading service standards. From the GIS Centers, Stratos manages the deployments of Stratos Installation Partners in all major harbors in their respective regions.

All project management will continue to be implemented by Stratos Customer Managers. Longer-term installations across larger fleets will be fully coordinated around the world to meet customer requirements and vessel port schedules.

Stratos Boasts Premier Maritime Broadband Portfolio

Stratos' newly expanded maritime broadband portfolio meets the increasing bandwidth demands of its customers. The portfolio includes Inmarsat XpressLink, FleetBroadband, FBB Flat Fee and FBBPlus service plans. XpressLink offers shipping companies a highly flexible migration path toward Inmarsat's Global Xpress services, which are expected to be commercially available in 2013. Other services include Iridium OpenPort and maritime VSAT services.

Stratos is the largest supplier of mobile satellite services to the maritime industry, with communications to more than 40,000 maritime terminals worldwide. Stratos offers a wide range of value-added services, known as The Stratos Advantage, to provide ship managers with optimal communications performance, management control and cost efficiency.

With the benefit of The Stratos Advantage, Stratos maritime broadband services are elevated far above baseline offerings. 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 by contacting their Stratos account manager or via [email protected].

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