Stratos Introduces New FleetBroadband Flat Fee Plans
--New plans offer reliable, global broadband connectivity for a predictable monthly fee--
Bethesda, Maryland (September 28, 2011) – Stratos Global, the leading global provider of advanced mobile and fixed-site remote communications solutions, today announced the commercial availability of its Inmarsat FleetBroadband Flat Fee service plans, known as FBB Flat Fee.
Stratos’ new FBB Flat Fee plans offer the high performance (up to 432kbps), global coverage, simplicity and reliability of Inmarsat FleetBroadband – in addition to The Stratos Advantage value-added services – all at an affordable, flat monthly price.
The FBB Flat Fee plans include 10GB and 15GB per-vessel data connectivity options. If a vessel exceeds the plan’s monthly data allocation, the price will not increase – but data speeds will be reduced. The plans also include highly competitive rates for voice calls.
Shipping companies now can choose from contract periods of two to four years. The four-year contract period represents the most competitive FleetBroadband commercial offering on the market today.
These plans utilize a standard FleetBroadband 500 terminal, simplifying installation and support. FleetBroadband has become the standard in global maritime communications. Many newly built vessels, or ships that have already upgraded to FleetBroadband, are already fully equipped to utilize the service today – thereby making additional capital costs unnecessary.
Stratos also offers customers the option of a three-month, paid trial period. During the trial period, customers can upgrade or downgrade their FBB Flat Fee data allocation or contract duration. The trial period allows time for Stratos and the customer to work together, to select the plan that meets the requirements of each vessel.
Stratos today is the market leader in the number of FBB Flat Fee plans deployed. The plans have been deployed by Stratos for a number of its existing customers, as well as by Stratos Channel Partner Navarino Telecom for ship-management companies Grieg Shipping Group, OSM Ship Management and Ugland Marine Services, among others.
FBB Flat Fee is one of several innovative Stratos broadband programs that provide shipping companies with a flexible pathway to Inmarsat’s Global Xpress Ka-band service. Global Xpress, which is expected to be commercially available in 2013, will deliver speeds of up to 50Mbps. Customers contracting for FBB Flat Fee plans from Stratos can upgrade to Global Xpress without penalty.
“Many of the world’s leading shipping companies are demanding higher volumes of data – with the dependability of L-band satellite communications – to support critical applications. They also want to choose from a range of price plans that meet their specific requirements,” said Joe Apa, Stratos Vice President, Global Maritime. “We are meeting those demands with simple, affordable plans such as FBB Flat Fee, in addition to our managed global broadband service XpressLink.”
Apa concluded, “Our wide range of broadband solutions proves that we are ideally suited to help expand our customers’ communications capabilities as we prepare for the availability Inmarsat’s Global Xpress services.”
FleetBroadband from Stratos provides ships with global broadband connectivity while at sea – for email, Internet access and voice communications – ensuring optimal vessel performance, business operations and crew productivity.
Since its introduction in 2007, Inmarsat’s FleetBroadband has been deployed on more than 21,600 vessels. Stratos’ more than 9,000 FleetBroadband activations encompass all major geographic regions and vessel types, from customers including Wallem Shipmanagement, Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement, Varun Shipping Co., MISC Berhad, Albacora Group, MPC Steamship and the Royal Netherlands Navy.
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