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Monday January 17, 2:05 pm Eastern Time
Company Press Release
Globalstar Launches Service in Mexico
MEXICO CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 17, 2000--Globalstar (NASDAQ:GSTRF - news), the easy-to-use, affordable global satellite telephone service, today began offering service to users throughout Mexico.
Globalstar de Mexico is making the new service available initially through telephone orders and will be announcing its full dealer network later this month. Telephone orders may be made by contacting Globalstar de Mexico at 52-5-1404015. Service is being introduced on a preliminary basis while the company finalizes testing of its local gateway and completes dealer training. Full commercial service is expected to be initiated in February.
''The launch of Globalstar de Mexico service is a key milestone in the roll-out of Globalstar service worldwide,'' said Lauro Gonzalez, chief
executive officer of Globalstar de Mexico. ''We are very pleased to be able to provide this unique, important service to the country, making
wireless telephone service available virtually anywhere in Mexico or the world.''
The Globalstar system is designed to provide affordable satellite-based digital voice services to a broad range of users. This includes cellular users who regularly travel outside the range of cellular service, as well as businesses and industries such as maritime and natural resources businesses which have operations in remote locations unserved or underserved by existing telecommunications systems. Globalstar de Mexico
will also offer fixed phone units which can be used in remote communities to provide telephone services that, in many cases, were never available before.
Globalstar service will be supported in central and southern Mexico through its gateway in San Martin Texmelucan Puebla, and across the
northern part of the country out of the Globalstar gateway in Clifton, Texas.
Globalstar de Mexico, founded in 1996, is a joint venture between the Mexican holding company Principia, S. de R.L., Loral Space &
Communications and Vodafone AirTouch.
Principia is a leading Mexican telecommunications holding company that is majority owned by the Autrey family and Mr. Lauro Gonzalez. In
association with Loral Space & Communications and AirTouch Communications, Principia founded Globalstar de Mexico in 1996. In 1997, Principia and Loral Space & Communications were selected to acquire 75 percent of Satmex in connection with the privatization of Mexico's fixed satellite services. Besides its participation in Globalstar de Mexico and Satmex, Principia also owns Optel Telecomunicaciones, a public data network that provides telecom solutions in 17 cities throughout Mexico, as well as connectivity to the Global One worldwide network.
Globalstar, led by founding partner Loral Space & Communications, is a partnership of the world's leading telecommunications service
providers and equipment manufacturers, including Alenia, China Telecom (HK), DACOM, DaimlerChrysler Aerospace, Elsacom (a Finmeccanica
Company), Hyundai, Qualcomm Incorporated, TE.SA.M (a France Telecom/Alcatel company), Space Systems/Loral, and Vodafone AirTouch.
For more information, visit Globalstar's web site at www.globalstar.com.
Loral Space & Communications (NYSE:LOR - news) is a high technology company that concentrates primarily on satellite manufacturing and
satellite-based services, including broadcast transponder leasing and value-added services, domestic and international corporate data
networks, global wireless telephony, broadband data transmission and content services, Internet services, and international direct-to-home
satellite services. For more information, visit our website at www.loral.com.
Vodafone AirTouch Plc. is the world's largest wireless communications firm, based in the United Kingdom. It has mobile operations in 24
countries on five continents, with more than 28 million proportionate cellular customers. Vodafone AirTouch is the service provider for
Globalstar in a total of 15 countries across North America, Europe, Australia, Mexico and South Africa. Vodafone AirTouch has an approximate eight- percent share in the Globalstar Limited Partnership. For more information on Vodafone AirTouch Plc., visit
www.vodafone_airtouch_plc.com.
Contact:
Globalstar Telecommunications Limited, New York
Mac Jeffery, 212/338-5383 |
