Telecom Lead Asia:
Inmarsat has tied up with NTT DoCoMo to launch its global satellite handheld
IsatPhone Pro in Japan.
Japan’s largest mobile carrier NTT DOCOMO will deliver
IsatPhone Pro to the Japanese market in partnership with JSAT MOBILE
Communications, a joint venture between Inmarsat and SKY Perfect JSAT
Corporation which is Asia-Pacific’s largest satellite operator and is also
Japan’s largest DTH broadcasting platform operator, SKY PerfecTV.
Inmarsat’s IsatPhone Pro offers reliable satellite network,
a robust handset, and the longest battery life available in the market, with
eight hours of talk time and up to a hundred hours of standby time.
In addition to essential satellite telephony, data, text and
email messaging, IsatPhone Pro provides GPS location and social media services.
IsatPhone Pro users can send their GPS location, and access Twitter from
anywhere in the world using the handset’s short messaging service function.
“The interest in satellite phones for business
continuity and disaster recovery has greatly increased after the Great East Japan
Earthquake of March 2011. It is our pleasure to respond to customer demand by
introducing Inmarsat’s IsatPhone Pro in Japan. We feel that this will be a very
significant opportunity,” said Eiichi Yoda, president and chief executive
officer, JSAT MOBILE.
The introduction of IsatPhone Pro addresses the growing
demand among Japanese customers for an easy-to-use handheld satellite phone.
The service complements NTT DOCOMO’s existing mobile satellite services
portfolio, centred on Widestar and Widestar II.
“We are excited to partner with such a world-leader as
NTT DOCOMO to launch IsatPhone Pro in Japan. This is a key market for Inmarsat
and launching IsatPhone Pro here is an important milestone for us,” said
Lizzie Greenwood, Asia-Pacific Director, Global Government, Inmarsat.
Mobile satellite communications provide vital back-up and
lifeline connectivity. In times of emergency or when terrestrial communications
are down, satcom services could help save lives and significantly mitigate the
impact of natural catastrophes on business continuity.
