ORBCOMM Now in Full Commercial Service
BusinessWire, Monday, November 30, 1998 at 13:32
DULLES, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 30, 1998--
$500 Million Satellite Data Network Officially "Open for Business;"
Over 115 Companies in 21 Countries Already Using Service
ORBCOMM Global, L.P. (ORBCOMM), the first commercial provider of
global low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite data and messaging
communications services, today formally inaugurated full commercial
service with its pioneering satellite-based global data communications
network. With its constellation of 28 satellites in low-Earth orbit
and 14 gateway earth stations installed or under construction on five
continents, ORBCOMM is now able to provide fixed-site monitoring,
mobile asset tracking and two-way messaging/wireless e-mail services
on a global scale.
Earlier this morning, Mr. Scott L. Webster, Chairman and Chief
Executive Officer of ORBCOMM Global, used a small ORBCOMM handheld
personal communications device to send inaugural satellite e-mail
messages to Mr. David W. Thompson, President and Chief Executive
Officer of Orbital Sciences Corporation in the United States, and to
Mr. Charles Sirois, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Teleglobe
Inc. in Canada, ORBCOMM's principal corporate sponsors. The message
announced, "A new era of ubiquitous data communications has begun.
ORBCOMM is proud to announce full commercial service for our customers
and business partners throughout the world!"
These messages were transmitted to ORBCOMM satellite #16 as it
passed over the East Coast of North America at an altitude of 500
miles, then routed to ORBCOMM's gateway earth station near Buffalo,
New York, one of four ORBCOMM gateways in the United States. After
traveling by landline to ORBCOMM's Network Control Center at Dulles,
Virginia, the messages were delivered by Internet e-mail to Messrs.
Thompson and Sirois at their office personal computers, with the
entire process taking less than 30 seconds. Similar messages were also
sent to ORBCOMM's international partners on five continents.
ORBCOMM Status Report
Over 115 companies in the transportation, oil and gas, utilities
and construction industries, as well as numerous U.S. and
international government agencies, are already using ORBCOMM services
in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and
Africa. Over 30,000 subscriber units have been delivered to or ordered
by ORBCOMM customers and distributors, as well as for ORBCOMM's own
inventory.
ORBCOMM's value to these customers comes from its ability to
ubiquitously, seamlessly and economically extend and enhance three
powerful, global technologies:
*T
-- Information Technology. By connecting under-managed industrial
assets to business information technology (IT) networks, ORBCOMM
extends IT systems to reach any asset in a company's far-flung
worldwide corporate operations.
-- The Internet. By linking people anywhere to the Internet, ORBCOMM
extends the availability of e-mail to the ends of the Earth.
-- Global Positioning System. By communicating GPS-based position
data, ORBCOMM transforms GPS's basic "locate yourself" capability
into a worldwide "locate anything" information utility.
ORBCOMM's two-way digital packet-data network is made up of
space, ground and customer equipment elements:
-- The world's second largest multi-satellite constellation, which
consists of 28 satellites now in space in five orbital planes,
plus an additional ten ground "spare" satellites for future
capacity upgrades.
-- An advanced ground tracking, control and switching system,
including 14 gateway earth station sites currently in operation
or under construction.
-- Subscriber equipment, which is now offered by five manufacturers
in 11 product types, and application software packages, which
cover over 25 specific uses that easily integrate with the most
commonly used enterprise management systems.
*T
"Our network technology has been thoroughly tested during the
past year, with refinements added to further enhance its robustness
and capacity," said Mr. Webster. "Today, our message delivery
reliability exceeds 99.99% and end-to-end latency averages less than
20 seconds from satellite contact. ORBCOMM satellite system capacity
is approximately 1 million messages per hour, or nearly 10 billion per
year, on a global basis."
As the world's first truly global satellite data communications
system, ORBCOMM intends to market and sell its services to companies,
governments and individuals virtually everywhere on Earth. ORBCOMM
currently has 15 regional service providers who plan to distribute its
services in 80 to 90 countries by the end of 1999. Currently, ORBCOMM
has full or provisional operating licenses in 21 countries. To reach
specific "vertical" markets in a variety of industries, ORBCOMM and
its international licensees are working with over 85 value-added
resellers.
Background on ORBCOMM
ORBCOMM was the first company to formally propose a commercial
low-orbit communications satellite network, when it filed its original
U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) license application in
February 1990. It was also the first to be licensed to construct and
operate such a system, receiving FCC approval in October 1994. In
March 1998, the FCC expanded ORBCOMM's original license from 36 to 48
satellites.
The ORBCOMM system was conceived by Orbital Sciences Corporation
in the late 1980's and developed as an internal project by the company
through the launch of two prototype satellites in April 1995.
Teleglobe joined Orbital as a full joint-venture partner in ORBCOMM in
September 1995. Since inception of the business, ORBCOMM has raised or
received commitments for over $500 million of capital from Orbital,
Teleglobe and other strategic and financial investors.
ORBCOMM provides two-way monitoring, tracking and messaging
services through the world's first low-Earth orbit satellite-based
data communications system. ORBCOMM applications include monitoring of
fixed assets such as electric utility meters, oil and gas storage
tanks, wells and pipelines and environmental projects; tracking of
mobile assets such as commercial vehicles, trailers, rail cars, heavy
equipment, fishing vessels, barges and government assets; and
messaging services for consumers and commercial and government
entities.
ORBCOMM is a partnership owned by Orbital Sciences Corporation
(NYSE:ORB), Teleglobe Inc. of Canada (NYSE and Montreal: TGO) and
Technology Resources Industries Bhd. of Malaysia. Orbital is a space
technology company that designs, manufactures and markets a broad
range of space products and satellite-based services. Orbital's
experience includes carrying out over 215 satellite, rocket and space
payload missions during the last 15 years. Teleglobe Inc. is
recognized as a world leader in global telecommunications. The
Teleglobe network links North America with more than 240 countries and
territories. Technology Resources Industries Bhd., a publicly traded
holding company, controls the largest cellular operator in Malaysia.
This release contains forward-looking statements, including
statements regarding ORBCOMM's expected commercial operations. These
forward-looking statements are based on a number of assumptions and
ORBCOMM's actual results and operations may be materially different
from those expressed or implied by such statements. For a description
of factors that may cause ORBCOMM's results to differ materially from
those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, please
consult the Securities and Exchange Act filings of ORBCOMM Global,
L.P.
For more information on ORBCOMM services, please call
1-800-ORBCOMM, or visit the ORBCOMM web site at www.orbcomm.com.
CONTACT: ORBCOMM
Wende Cover
(703) 406-5774
cover.wende@orbcomm.com
or
Shandwick
Devon Nagle
(410) 558-2100
dnagle@shandwick.com
or
Miller/Shandwick Technologies
Michael Newsom
(214) 826-6590
mnewsom@miller.shandwick.com
KEYWORD: VIRGINIA
INDUSTRY KEYWORD: COMED COMPUTERS/ELECTRONICS TELECOMMUNICATIONS
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