First
Call
Made
Using
Inmarsat’s
New
Global
Handheld
26
January
2010
Inmarsat
has
been
made
using
its
global
handheld
service,
IsatPhone
Pro,
which
is
on
track
for
launch
in
June
2010.
The
first
images
of
the
new
handset
have
also
been
released.
In
preparation
for
launch,
Inmarsat
has
passed
a
number
of
key
milestones
in
the
development
of
the
service
and
finalised
some
essential
contracts
and
distribution
arrangements.
A
contract
to
upgrade
the
Inmarsat
ground
network
was
completed
on
schedule
by
Lockheed
Martin,
and
further
testing
on
the
integration
between
the
handset
and
the
ground
network
is
underway.
Inmarsat’s
partner
for
the
handset
development
is
Sasken
Communications
Technologies,
which
has
led
development
programmes
for
most
of
the
world’s
top
mobile
phone
manufacturers.
Elcoteq,
the
world’s
third
largest
manufacturer
of
mobile
phones,
has
been
appointed
to
produce
IsatPhone
Pro
at
its
facility
in
Tallinn,
Estonia.
Eleven
distribution
partners,
covering
all
geographic
markets
around
the
world,
have
been
selected
to
sell
IsatPhone
Pro
at
launch:
AST,
China
Telecom,
Evosat,
MCN,
MVS,
Network
Innovations,
NSSL,
Satcom
Global,
Singtel,
Stratos
and
Vizada.
“The
first
call
is a
significant
milestone,
and
we’re
very
pleased
with
the
voice
quality
in
initial
tests,”
said
Helen
Stalker,
Commercial
Director
of
Global
Satellite
Phone
Services.
“IsatPhone
Pro
is
the
ultimate
combination,”
she
said.
“It’s
a
robust
handset
that
is
easy
to
use,
has
long
battery
life,
and
offers
a
reliable
global
network
connection.
And
it’s
provided
by
Inmarsat,
the
market
leader,
with
30
years’
experience
in
providing
global
mobile
satellite
services.”
IsatPhone
Pro
is
targeted
primarily
at
professional
users
in
the
government,
media,
aid,
oil
and
gas,
mining
and
construction
sectors.
It
will
offer
satellite
telephony,
with
Bluetooth
for
hands-free
use,
voicemail,
text
and
email
messaging.
Location
data
will
also
be
available
to
the
user
to
look
up
or
send
in a
text
message.
IsatPhone
Pro
is
the
first
Inmarsat
handheld
to
be
purpose-built
for
its
network.
Optimised
to
deliver
the
best
performance
from
the
world’s
most
advanced
mobile
satellite
network,
it
will
be
available
on a
global
basis
over
the
three
Inmarsat-4
satellites,
which
have
an
operational
lifetime
into
the
2020s.
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