MCS Europe and DecisionLink to Jointly Market and Distribute DecisionLink Technologies in Europe
LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 1, 2001--DecisionLink Inc. (OTCBB:DLNK) announced that it has signed a marketing, distribution and joint-venture agreement with MCS Europe (European Company for Mobile Communication Services B.V. of the Netherlands) to market DecisionLink's wide range of end-to-end monitoring solutions for the oil and gas and environmental industries in Europe.
MCS Europe (www.mcseurope.com) is the joint venture uniting five European telecommunications companies and is led by Telespazio, which is part of the Telecom Italia Group (www.telespazio.it). MCS' core business is that of providing systems and services via the ORBCOMM system and other satellite or terrestrial wireless telecommunication systems and marketing monitoring and tracking solutions in 40 countries in Western and Eastern Europe.
DecisionLink and MCS are collaborating to bring DecisionLink's technologies, solutions, and services to Europe. DecisionLink products were widely introduced to the MCS Pan-European network at the MCS Tracking and Monitoring Solutions Conference held in Rome, Italy, on January 30 and 31, 2001.
The DecisionLink/MCS joint marketing will commence with DecisionLink's tank monitoring products for the propane and fuel oil tank businesses. DecisionLink's "TankSat" technology measures the liquid level of tanks and, through a secure Web site, delivers the corresponding tank data to the distributor using the satellite technology of ORBCOMM.
TankSat technology can dramatically reduce the cost of delivery of propane, butane and other fuel oils by remotely monitoring the fuel storage tanks and enabling new levels of delivery efficiency and customer service.
MCS Europe will provide the low-orbit satellite (LEO) and wireless infrastructure able to support the monitoring systems of DecisionLink. MCS will market and distribute the solutions in accordance with European regulations throughout Europe through its Country Representatives and VAR/VAD Network.
The North American market potential for TankSat units is estimated at 15 million units while the international market is estimated to be in excess of 50 million units.
"We are very pleased to join DecisionLink to implement and market TankSat in Europe," said Andrea Cendali Pignatelli, Managing Director of MCS Europe, "and we are confident this new technology will greatly benefit the European gas and fuel oil business, thanks to a more efficient remote monitoring of tank levels and control of inventory. Industry estimates put the European potential market to be in excess of 5 million units and the European market is forecast to steadily grow in the next few years."
Geoff Hewitt, Chairman and CEO, and Brian O'Neil, Executive VP of DecisionLink, introduced the DecisionLink product line at the conference in Rome.
Hewitt said, "DecisionLink's TankSatautomated meter reading, and environmental products and services were very well received by the European VAR community. These VARs have already identified projects in both propane tank monitoring and leak detection that are of similar magnitude to the opportunities we are pursuing in the USA. Working with MCS opens up the European market for all our products, utilizing a variety of communications pathways including satellite."
David S. Peachey, President of DecisionLink Inc., added: "We have been focusing on building our international distribution over the past year and our agreement with MCS is a major breakthrough for us. MCS Europe is the ideal telecommunications partner for us to work with in entering this large new market. MCS brings experience, management and credibility to DecisionLink and TankSat in Europe."
DecisionLink's Communications Group has developed a wide range of products for monitoring of propane and fuel oil tank levels, pipeline compressors, and many other multi-user remote asset monitoring applications for low-cost volume use of satellite communication pathways and the Internet.
DecisionLink's environmental group has introduced small, low-cost sensor and communication products that use satellite communications and the Internet as the backbone for data transfer and control in the pipeline leak detection, above-ground storage tank monitoring, oil production, water quality monitoring and industrial wastewater compliance monitoring and control markets.
For more on DecisionLink, visit www.decisionlinkinc.com.
MCS Europe (European Company for Mobile Communications Services B.V.) is a joint venture established by a group of five leading European satellite communications companies led by Telespazio of the Telecom Italia Group with a 70% holding.
Telespazio provides consultancy services for satellite systems, as well as designing and implementing mobile telecommunications services and multimedia applications.
MCS Europe holds the exclusive license for the marketing and provision of ORBCOMM satellite services across an area comprising 40 countries in Western and Eastern Europe. Distribution and support of ORBCOMM-based applications in Europe is carried out by MCS Europe's partners (the "Country Representatives") who provide customized solutions to local market segments through networks of Value Added Resellers (VARs). |
