General Partner, Globalstar LP
3200 Zanker Road
P.O. Box 640670
San Jose, CA 95164 USA
| News For Immediate Release |
| Contact: John Cunningham Globalstar Phone: +1-408-933-4434 |
Globalstar Expands Global Presence With New Regional Offices
BEIJING, China - October 28, 1998 - Globalstar today announced it has expanded its worldwide regional presence by naming eight regional directors to serve Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Americas, and Central and East Asia. Globalstar has established these regional offices to assist Globalstar partners, local service providers and distributors in preparation for the initiation of service in the third quarter of 1999.
Globalstars new office in Beijing, for example, will serve as a point of presence for Globalstar in that country. It will assist China Telecoms marketing efforts, provide advice and material support, and help it to ready its gateways. Chinas first gateway in Beijing (one of four to be built in China) is nearly complete and will be ready to commence authorized satellite signal testing by the end of 1998.
The eight newly appointed regional directors, their contact information, and their regional responsibilities are outlined below.
Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)
Cyril Velikanov
Phone: +7.095.241.7628
Russia
Nik Iambourenko
Phone: +7.095.137.1149
Fax: +7.501.883.2132
Europe and Africa
Frank Guinard
Phone: +44.181.446.6711
Fax: +44.181.446.6712
Europe, Middle East, and South Asia
Peter Bacon
Phone: +44.125.278.1801
Fax: +44.125.278.1802
Latin America
Andres Castro
Phone: +58.16.620.6270
Fax: +58.2.991.6928
Asia Pacific
Patrick Jonathan Wong
Phone: +852.2.584.6178
Fax: +852.2.537.5655
China
Steven Jin
Phone: +86.10.6512.5883
Fax: +86.10.6512.5486
North America
Marc Newman
Phone: +1.703.414.1047
Fax: +1.703.414.1074
The opening of regional offices reinforces Globalstars commitment to work closely with local and regional telephone service providers, PTTs, and communications companies. Each region will be serviced by Globalstar gateways, owned and operated by licensed local partners. Globalstar's architecture has been designed so that all calls, including international calls, will enter the existing land-based network from the local gateway, rather than bypassing the existing telephone network infrastructure.
This gives Globalstar service providers additional revenue opportunities and permits local regulatory authorities to exercise their accustomed degree of regulatory control. Interested parties should contact the appropriate regional director.
The Globalstar system, comprising 48 low-earth-orbit (LEO) satellites and a global array of ground stations, will enable people around the world to make or receive calls using hand-held, vehicle-mounted and fixed-site terminals. Globalstar will also provide narrow-band data services. With the addition of Martel Ehf of Iceland, Globalstar now has service provider agreements in more than 100 countries, covering nearly 90 percent of Globalstar's business plan. Globalstar has received licenses for satellite services in 32 of those countries, representing 55 percent of its business plan.
Five Globalstar gateways are being used to control and test the satellite system, and site work and construction is underway at 20 more gateway sites around the world. Globalstar has eight satellites in orbit, and will place a total of 52 satellites into orbit by the end of 1999.
Globalstar, led by Loral Space & Communications, is a partnership of the world's leading telecommunications service providers and equipment manufacturers, and includes QUALCOMM Incorporated, AirTouch Communications, Alcatel, Alenia, China Telecom (HK), DACOM, Daimler-Benz Aerospace, Elsacom (a Finmeccanica/Elsag Bailey Company), France Telecom, Hyundai, Space Systems/Loral and Vodafone. For more information, visit Globalstar's web site at http://www.globalstar.com.
Loral Space & Communications (NYSE:LOR) is a high technology company that primarily concentrates 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, digital audio radio services, and international direct-to-home satellite services. For more information, visit Loral's web site at http://www.loral.com.
# # #
