BGAN, Global Network, Internet Satellite Global

atrexx, a leading solutions provider for the telecommunication and broadcast industries, is offering customers that activate new SIM cards the opportunity to purchase pre-paid BGAN vouchers at discounted rates until 31 December 2010. Inmarsat’s BGAN (Broadband Global Area Network) is a mobile satellite service that allows subscribers to access Internet at broadband speed and to make phone calls at the same time at almost any location on the planet, using a terminal of less than a notebook PC size.

Discounts offered on exclusive BGAN prepay service

Especially beneficial for occasional users, the BGAN vouchers from atrexx are available with a discount of 10 percent for 250 traffic units and up to 20 percent for 5000 units. One traffic unit represents a one-minute call to a fixed network worldwide. atrexx will also waive the fee for service and SIM card activation during the promotional period.

 ”This offer is a great opportunity for new BGAN users. The option to buy pre-paid units is extremely popular, especially in regions like Africa where 99 percent of traditional land mobile communications is estimated to be on a pre-paid basis” said Miriam Zude, Account Manager at atrexx. “We are giving our customers the chance to use BGAN with no monthly fee but we can also offer them the option of topping up their pre-paid account online at $0.90 per unit using a credit card. After they have bought their units, they can then have peace of mind by monitoring the account online making it easy to manage.”

BGAN is a perfect communications choice for anyone that works or travels to regions where the communications infrastructure is lacking or non-existent. Another main attraction of the BGAN system is the fact that no specialist technical knowledge is required to deploy it and it can therefore be used by a huge range of user groups such as journalists, military personnel, aid workers, civil engineers and researchers to name a few.

Valid for 24 months after activation or after the last top-up, the atrexx prepaid service package provides voice applications with unique rates for terrestrial fixed networks and for cellular networks worldwide, broadband Internet access and SMS services. The SIM card may be used in any BGAN hardware.

Ms. Zude continued: “There are very few BGAN providers that offer a prepaid service and atrexx is proud to be one of those. We also offer customer BGAN equipment rental options at just $8.90 per day. This, coupled with the prepaid option, is the perfect choice for users who only need the equipment for a limited time. Prepay BGAN services give the customer flexibility and control over how much they spend at a time where budgets are constrained.”

Global satellite operator SES S.A. (Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange: SESG) and Jersey, Channel Islands-based O3B Networks Limited (O3b), announced today that SES has made a minority investment in O3b to support the development of O3b’s satellite-based, global internet backbone designed to reach the “other three billion” people in the developing world who today do not have access to the internet. SES joins Google, Liberty Global, HSBC and North Bridge Venture Partners to become a significant investor in O3b.

SES will invest a total of 75 MUSD in the company, and will provide engineering and commercial support to O3b in order to assist the company’s development.

O3b is building the world’s first ultra-low latency, fiber speed satellite network to serve as a global internet backbone and next generation backhaul infrastructure for people and businesses in emerging markets. The company will be able to combine the speed of a fiber network with the global reach of a satellite system, and will partner with telecommunications providers and internet service providers (ISPs) to serve billions.

“O3b’s positioning perfectly meets our vision of bringing people closer together through the power of satellites, ” said Romain Bausch, President and CEO of SES. “Through its innovative satellite technology, O3b will be able to provide emerging markets with fast, competitively priced internet connectivity that is currently only available to the developed world. As we look to celebrate our 25th anniversary next year, and reflect on how far we have come since we were a young start up company, we are excited to embrace and support this next generation infrastructure initiative, and to help O3b make their vision – and ours – a reality.”

“We are delighted to welcome SES alongside our existing investors,” said Greg Clarke, CEO of O3b. “SES already reaches billions of people through the global reach of their satellite network. Now they will be able to join us in offering an advanced solution to those who have so far been poorly served, or completely cut off, from the internet – the greatest business and information resource of our time. The financial, technical and commercial support of SES will help make O3b one of the most innovative communications companies on the planet, bringing broadband internet access to the “other three billion” who currently have no access to these services.”

O3b will initially launch eight satellites that will be placed in medium earth orbit (8,000 kilometers from the earth), which is some four times closer to the planet than geostationary satellites at over 35,000 kilometers, and accounts for the low latency. Based on O3b’s current spectrum allocation in the Ka frequency band, the company has the option to launch many more satellites in the future. This innovative satellite system will cover approximately 70 percent of the world’s population with fiber quality internet connectivity at attractive terms and conditions.

About O3b Networks Ltd.

O3b Networks is building a new fiber-quality, satellite-based, global Internet backbone for telecommunications operators (telcos) and Internet service providers (ISPs) in emerging markets. With deployment scheduled for late 2010, the O3b Networks system will combine global reach and the speed of a fiber-optic network. With investment and operational support from Google Inc., Liberty Global, Inc. and HSBC Principal Investments, the O3b Networks system will provide telcos and ISPs with a low-cost, high-speed alternative to connect their 3G, WiMAX and fixed-line networks to the rest of the world. This will allow billions of consumers and businesses in more than 150 countries to benefit from high-speed Internet connectivity for educational, medical and commercial applications. O3b Networks’ headquarters is in St. John, Jersey, Channel Islands. Ground systems and technical development are managed through its wholly owned subsidiary in Englewood, Colorado.