TESAM to Offer Prepaid GlobalStar Service 3Q00 - Regional
April 24, 2000
French satellite services distributor TESAM plans to offer prepaid services to South American users of GlobalStar (NASDAQ: GSTRF) mobile satellite phones in 3Q00, TESAM Argentina president Yvon Ferrette told BNamericas.com.
GlobalStar service is currently available in Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela, Mexico and Central America.
TESAM is also negotiating roaming agreements with its subsidiaries. "We hope to sign a (roaming) contract between TESAM Argentina and TESAM Europe by the middle of May. We are also working with Brazil and North America to sign a contract by the end of May," Ferrette said.
TESAM Argentina launched the GlobalStar service in Argentina on April 18 and plans to extend service to Chile, Uruguay and Paraguay through a terrestrial gateway in Cordoba, Argentina in July. TESAM expects to have between 5,000 and 6,000 Southern Cone customers by year-end. GlobalStar gateways are owned and operated by partner TESAM in Spanish speaking South American countries and in Brazil by Loral (NYSE LOR) and Daimler Benz.
The GlobalStar worldwide digital telecommunications system is based on 48 low-orbit satellites and 50 earth stations. The satellites are accessible from portable mobile or fixed terminals and will eventually provide telephony, fax, data transmission, and Internet services.
A competing satellite system, Iridium, was liquidated in March when it was unable to find an investor to keep afloat. Iridium users complained that the US$3,000 phones were too expensive, too bulky and not compatible with mobile telephony networks. The high calling cost of US$7.00 per minute also put off many would be customers.
GlobalStar handsets, made by Qualcomm (NASDAQ: QCOM), are a more manageable size and can be used on CDMA mobile networks. The cost for calls within Argentina is between US$1.80 and US$1.65 per minute.
GlobalStar is owned by an international consortium and operated by majority shareholder Loral. TESAM is a joint venture formed by France Telecom (NYSE: FTE) and Alcatel (NYSE: ALA) that buys minutes from GlobalStar.
Source: Business News Americas (BNamericas.com)
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SCT Plans US$15mn Rural Telephony Expansion - Mexico
April 24, 2000
Mexico's Transport & Communications Secretariat (SCT) plans to invest US$14.6mn to develop satellite-based rural telephony for 1,300 communities in Chiapas state. The government will begin releasing the funds in November.
In the last four months the government has installed 2,300 rural telephones in 749 communities of 111 municipalities in the state, according to the SCT's Chiapas director Lino Palacios. The government plans to provide communications for all communities of 100 to 500 inhabitants in all regions by year-end, he added.
Source: El Economista (Mexico)
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