OSLO, Norway and MOSCOW, Aug. 1, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- The MVS Group has ordered 1,000 broadband satellite terminals for Inmarsat's new BGAN service, with a significant proportion of the terminals going to Russia. The order was placed with Nera SatCom, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Nera (Other OTC:NERAF).
The contract between the MVS Group and Nera represents the first order of terminals for Inmarsat's Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN) service into Russia. Scheduled for availability in the fourth quarter, BGAN will become the first mobile satellite communications service providing broadband access to voice and data simultaneously.
"We see a large market potential for the world's first mobile broadband satellite communications service in Russia," comments Mr. Peter Liberi, Vice President of MVS Group. He continues, "The extremely compact design of Nera's terminal contributes to making BGAN a very compelling proposition."
Half the size of a laptop computer and weighing less than 1 kg, the Nera WorldPro 1000 is the smallest broadband satellite communications terminal on the market. Designed specifially to be easy to carry and easy to use, the terminal is targeted at users in the military, aid and media sectors who need instant access to broadband communications in areas with poor terrestrial communications infrastructure. The Nera WorldPro 1000 will enable customers of the MVS Group to connect to the BGAN service at speeds of up to 384 kbps from 85% of the world's land mass.
The MVS Group's order is yet another significant contract for the Nera WorldPro 1000, which was launched only two months ago. "The strong demand for Nera's terminal several months before the launch of the BGAN service is very encouraging," observes Mr. Stig-Are Mogstad, President of Nera SatCom.
The 1,000 units will be delivered together with Nera's new ISDN handset, which enables users to take advantage of BGAN's enhanced voice codec and also to configure the terminal directly from the handset, as well as send text messages (SMS) over the BGAN service. Important for the target segments of the MVS Group, the handset will provide Russian language support.
A large proportion of the order is already committed to the Russian market. The remaining terminals will be delivered through the MVS global distribution network and the MVS Group's online shop for easy order and worldwide distribution.
Delivery is planned to start in November this year.
About Nera
Nera is a world-leading global supplier of fixed wireless and satellite communication equipment and systems. Nera designs, develops, manufactures and markets point-to-point and point-to-multipoint radio link equipment, satellite terminals and gateways for mobile and fixed satellite communications. Nera is a major supplier to Inmarsat. Nera has delivered satellite gateway and terminal solutions in Europe, Latin and South America, and Asia supporting broadband applications such as Internet access, VPN, Multicasting, Voice over IP and e-learning for business and home users. Nera is at the very forefront of the development of the global industry standard DVB-RCS, and is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange. www.nera.no
About MVS Group
The MVS Group is a consortium of international companies dedicated to providing global mobile communications solutions and customised breakthrough applications. The MVS Group has been successfully serving the needs of the international telecommunications market for more than 15 years and its global alliance of offices on three continents provides for a wide varity of Inmarsat, Iridium, Globalstar, VSAT, private line, carrier services and more.