Satellite-based mobile communications company Globalstar Canada said it has expanded its services to include short messaging service (SMS) and direct dial-up data access.
For a limited time, the company said all of its customers could receive 19-character text messages using a GSP-1600 handset virtually anywhere in the world free of charge. Also, as an added enhancement to the Globalstar Data service, data customers can now connect to private networks.
Peter White, general manager of Globalstar Canada, said that the service would be offered July 15th so customers can discover how easy it is to use the advantages of this new service. The new service is very cost effective service and would be of great benefit to Canadian companies with dispatches, field crews, service technicians and emergency response teams, to name a few, White said.
SMS messages are sent via the Internet from Globalstar’s Web page. After accessing the Web page, customers enter the 10-digit satellite phone number of the intended recipient. They then enter the 19-character message (alpha, numeric, spaces and symbols are accepted) and click on the “send message” button. A message indicator will notify the customer when a message has arrived.
Messages are immediately delivered to the handset in satellite mode. Undelivered messages will be stored in the network and delivery attempts will be made for up to five days if the phone is not currently in satellite mode. Messages can be locked on the phone to retain them in memory. The GSP-1600 satellite phone has the capacity to store up to 90 messages of 19 characters each (more than 1,700 total characters).
After July 15, 2001, SMS will be available to customers for $4.95 per month. The SMS service will also be automatically included with Globalstar’s voice mail service that is available for $9.95 per month, the company said.
Globalstar’s direct Internet data access service was introduced in response to customers who work in remote locations for short and extended periods of time, require access to company information, said White.
The direct Internet data service allows customers to connect to the Internet and e-mail systems. Globalstar acts as the Internet Service Provider (ISP) allowing users to browse Websites and send and receive e-mails. The service allows customers to connect to private networks, which may not be accessible via the Internet, by dialing the 11-digit number.
Globalstar Canada, in Mississauga, Ont., can be reached at www.globalstar.com.
SMS messages are sent via the Internet from the Globalstar Canada Web page at http://www.globalstar.ca/sms.