IsatPhone Pro, which will be launched in June, will offer satellite telephony – with Bluetooth for hands-free use – as well as voicemail, text and email messaging. Location data will also be available to the user to look up or send in a text message.
“The first call is a significant milestone, and we're pleased with the voice quality in initial tests,” said Helen Stalker, commercial director of Global Satellite Phone Services at Inmarsat.
“IsatPhone Pro is the ultimate combination. It's a robust handset that's 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 has successfully passed a number of key milestones ahead of its launch in June.
The upgrade of Inmarsat's ground network has been completed by Lockheed Martin, and further testing on the integration between the handset and the ground network continues as planned.
The handset itself has been developed by Sasken Communications Technologies, which has led similar programmes for most of the world's top mobile phone operators.
Production of IsatPhone Pro is being undertaken by Elcoteq, the world's third largest manufacturer of mobile phones, at its facility in Tallinn, Estonia.
And distribution will be handled by 11 distribution partners, covering all geographic markets around the world. They include AST, China Telecom, Evosat, MCN, MVS, Network Innovations, NSSL, Satcom Global, SingTel, Stratos and Vizada.
Isatphone Pro is targeted initially at professional users in the government, media, aid, oil and gas, mining sectors.
