DUBAI, June 8, 2007 - Satnews Daily - The global mobile satellite services (MSS) market is expected to jump 43 per cent to $500 million by 2010 from the present $350 million, believes Inmarsat president and COO Michael Butler. He also noted the market is growing at a tremendous pace and Inmarsat hopes to take a 10 percent share by 2010.
Butler made these comments at ceremonies where Inmarsat signed a multi-year deal with Axiom Telecom, a Dubai-based retailer and distributor of mobile communications products, to manage the global distribution of Inmarsat's mobile and fixed satellite phones. Inmarsat will soon launch a new service that will cover the Middle East, Asia and Africa using Inmarsat-4 satellite. A global roll-out is scheduled for 2009.
Axiom will support Inmarsat as the exclusive logistics and repair partner of Inmarsat's new voice services. Axiom Telecom COO Faisal Al Bannai said Axiom and Inmarsat share a common vision for delivering quality services to customers around the world.
"Our experience of delivering critical logistics services to global mobile communications
companies, together with Inmarsat's unrivalled heritage in satellite communications, will be
a compelling proposition for anyone who needs voice telephony beyond the reach of
terrestrial networks."
"The agreement is a milestone for Inmarsat as it represents the first exclusive collaboration of its kind for Inmarsat on a global level and with a Middle East-based company. This demonstrates Inmarsat's commitment to the region and belief in the regional companies on the global landscape," said Samer Halawi, Axiom vice-president for the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific.
The agreement forms a core component of Inmarsat's go-to-market strategy for its new handheld satellite phones, which will be available through Inmarsat's distribution partners. Inmarsat will launch its new voice services in the third quarter of this year. Initially available for service coverage across the Middle East, Asia and Africa, the satellite phones will undergo an extensive development program before a global roll-out of the service at the end of 2008.
