Stratos Global Corp., a leading
global communications provider and the world’s leading distributor of Inmarsat
satellite services, today announced it has been awarded a National Individual
Standing Offer (NISO) by the Canadian Department of National Defence (DND) to
provide Inmarsat leased satellite capacity services in support of land and
sea-based operations.
The three-year award, with an estimated total value of CDN$25 million,
will facilitate the renewal of longer-term leased capacity services that the
Canadian DND currently has with Stratos, as well as providing a mechanism for
additional capacity as required. The offer also includes two one-year options
for extension after the conclusion of the initial term in 2009.
As part of the award, Stratos will provide the Canadian DND with its
Enhanced Leasing Service, which uses advanced modem modulation
techniques to increase throughput on a standard 100 kHz Inmarsat leased
satellite channel from 64 kbps to 128 kbps without the need for additional
space segment. With ELS, military and large commercial maritime fleets have
twice the available bandwidth to support voice, data and fax communications,
including ship-based crew calling and e-mail, using Inmarsat-B satellite
systems.
In addition, ELS allows multiple terminals to simultaneously share a
single leased channel, with per-terminal, user-controlled data rates of 32,
64, 96, and 128 kbps, in any combination up to the combined maximum rate of
128 kbps.
Stratos is the leading global provider of Inmarsat leased channel
services and the only Inmarsat Land Earth Station Operator (LESO) with
facilities and installed equipment to access all five Inmarsat second-
generation satellites, which together provide coverage in nearly every part of
the world.
“Stratos has proven itself as a reliable provider of advanced data and
voice communications services for the Canadian Department of National Defence
in the past,” said LCdr Dave Munro of the Canadian Department of National
Defence. “This established reputation, combined with the higher bandwidth and
increased flexibility of Stratos’ Enhanced Leasing Service, were major factors
in our decision to select Stratos for our Inmarsat leased satellite services
requirements.”
“We’re proud to have been selected by the Canadian Department of National
Defence to provide Inmarsat leased channel services in support of their land
and sea-based operations,” said Jim Parm, president and chief executive
officer for Stratos. “As the market leader, Stratos is continually working to
introduce new service offerings, such as our Enhanced Leasing Service, that
will provide additional value for our customers and allow us to remain the
satellite communications provider of choice for government, military and
commercial organizations throughout the world.”
