Inmarsat : IsatPhone 2 and IsatPhone Pro now approved for operation in Colombia

Inmarsat and Globalsat Group expand regional footprint

13 August 2014 - Inmarsat (LSE: ISAT.L), the leading provider of global mobile satellite communications services, today announced that its IsatPhone portfolio of global handheld satellite phones are now approved for operation in Colombia.

Inmarsat's market leading satellite phones will be distributed in Colombia by Globalsat Colombia, the local operating member of the Globalsat Group, a leading provider of mobile satellite services in Latin America since 1999. Globalsat Group supplies IsatPhones to thousands of regional clients, including emergency first responders; humanitarian aid organizations; journalists reporting from the field; companies operating in the mining, oil and maritime industries; and other organisations whose activities take them to areas on land or at sea, where terrestrial communications are either unreliable or non-existent.

"We are excited to expand our service offerings in the region," said Robert Darias, Director of Sales in Latin America for Inmarsat's Enterprise business unit. "Colombia's GDP is among the top five in Latin America and the Caribbean, and we see a tremendous potential for growth in the satellite communications space."

The low-cost IsatPhone Pro handsets operate over Inmarsat's award-winning global I-4 satellite network; the most reliable satellite communications network in the world, with an average network availability of 99.9 percent, which ensures seamless and consistent service across the world. The handsets come with voicemail, text and email messaging capabilities, as well as GPS location data. With a single charge, the handsets provide up to eight hours of highly-reliable, high-quality calls, while also offering up to 100 hours on standby. Engineered to operate at temperatures as low as -20°C and as high as +55°C, the phones are robust enough to withstand the most extreme weather conditions, such as hurricanes and sandstorms.

The new-generation IsatPhone 2 builds on the technology of the IsatPhone Pro by expanding standby battery life to up to 160 hours and providing an assistance button, which in an emergency sends GPS location data, together with a user-defined text message, to pre-programmed numbers or email addresses. Additionally, the new satellite phone includes a tracking capability, which can be used to show a user's location on an interactive map. Both the emergency and tracking features offer peace of mind to those whose work takes them into volatile locations, providing the reassurance that the alarm can be raised at any time and that their location may be easily identified.

"Colombia provides strong market opportunities for Inmarsat services," said Alberto Palacios, CEO of Globalsat. "The country already leads, or has the potential to lead, South America in many of the economic activities - mining, oil and gas production and hydroelectric generation, for example - that take place in remote areas where reliable voice and data connections are required but difficult or impossible to find.

"The IsatPhone 2 and IsatPhone Pro are already sold in 17 countries in the region. Personnel from Télécoms sans Frontieres (TSF), an official partner of Inmarsat, and the Red Cross both rely heavily on the IsatPhone Pro to coordinate relief operations when terrestrial communications fail following a man-made or natural disaster. Most recently, first responders equipped with the Inmarsat BGAN and IsatPhone Pro provides by Globalsat Group worked with local authorities to provide critical technical support to aid relief operations following a recent 8.2-magnitude earthquake that struck off the coast of Chile in April 2014.

Inmarsat plc is the leading provider of global mobile satellite communications services. Since 1979, Inmarsat has been providing reliable voice and high-speed data communications to governments, enterprises and other organizations, with a range of services that can be used on land, at sea or in the air. Inmarsat employs around 1,600 staff in more than 60 locations around the world, with a presence in the major ports and centres of commerce on every continent. Inmarsat is listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE:ISAT.L). For more information, please visit www.inmarsat.com.

Globalsat Group is an international consortium of companies. The group is an industry leader in providing MSS (Mobile Satellite Services) in Latin America since 1999, with offices in the US, Bolivia Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Peru and Mexico as well as distributors in the region's most important cities. The Globalsat Group serves thousands of customers, providing a wide array of satellite services including voice, data and tracking in the air, land and sea for sectors such as Government, Oil & Gas, Defense, Media, Mining, Banking, Agriculture, NGOs and Tourism. Services are provided both directly to customers as well as through distributors.http://www.globalsatgroup.com