1/06/00 - Globalstar USA Rolls Out Satphone Service To Public 01/06/00
WALNUT CREEK, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 2000 JAN 6 (Newsbytes) -- By Sylvia Dennis, Newsbytes. Globalstar USA has announced it
is now offering Globalstar- compatible cellular handsets and service deals to the US. Customers will pay around $1,499 for a
Qualcomm [NASDAQ:QCOM] tri-mode handset, and then opt for one of three service plans on the satellite phone network.
The firm says the service is being offered as a pre-commercial trial to limited numbers of users, mainly to test the service on a real
world basis. Plans call for the commercial service to be formally rolled out across the US by the end of March.
As a "thank you" to its early adopters, Globalstar USA - a subsidiary of Vodafone Airtouch that resells Globalstar airtime - is offering a
rebate of up to 50 percent of subscribers call charges until February 15, at which stage the company will start rolling out its full
commercial service.
Mike Kerr, Globalstar USA's vice president, said that the purposes of the limited service phase is to fine tune the firm's business
processes, such as billing and customer care, so that the network can be further refined.
The Qualcomm tri-mode phone supports analog and digital terrestrial cellular services - using a subscriber's existing or new
agreements with a regular cellular carrier - and only logs on to the Globalstar satellite network when out of range of terrestrial networks.
Using this approach, the firm says, means that subscribers can remain in touch at all times, making and receiving calls via the best
priced network available.
When calls are routed out or in via the Globalstar LEO (low earth orbit) satellite network, call charges vary between $1.39 and $1.69 a
minute, depending on which deal the subscriber is using.
The first of the three deals is Beyond Basic, which costs $29.99 a month plus per minute charges of $1.69. Beyond 100, meanwhile,
costs $169.99 a month and includes 100 minutes of calls. Extra calls are charged at $1.49 per minute.
High usage subscribers can subscribe to Beyond 250, which, at $369.99 a month, including 250 minutes of calls, with extra minutes
charged at $1.39 each.
Toni Carinci, a spokesperson for Vodafone Airtouch, said that these rates are for calls to and from regular US network numbers. Extra
charges are levied for international calls and special call handling, as is the norm for mobile phone networks.
Globalstar's service launched in early November, 1999. Since then, the company, its distributors and agents, have been testing the
network to ensure that there are no major problems for end users.
Since the early November launch, Globalstar USA says that around 40,000 dual- and tri-mode handsets have been connected
worldwide to the satellite telephony network, proving that the system can handle relatively heavy registration and call loadings.
Eric Harrison, Globalstar USA's market segment manager, said that the enthusiastic feedback the carrier has received from prospective
customers and dealers in the trials "confirms that we're ready to begin offering the service on a limited basis."
Globalstar USA's Web site is at globalstarusa.com ,
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