ICO has placed an order valued at $25 million to Nera ASA of Norway for the delivery of handsets and marine communications terminals. Delivery is set for the year 2000, in time for ICO’s launch of service.
This is the first Nera order for pocket-sized handsets and ICO’s
first contract with a European handset supplier. Earlier this year ICO
placed its first orders for handsets with NEC and Mitsubishi of Japan
and Samsung of Korea. Nera is an experienced builder of maritime
satellite terminals for Inmarsat.
Nera President Bjorn Ove Skjeie and ICO Chief Executive Officer
Olof Lundberg signed the contract today in Oslo.
“This is a great opportunity for us to secure a European supplier
and we look forward to working with Nera in the development of these
new exciting products,” said Lundberg. “Demand for our terminals will
be ramping up rapidly once we launch the service, and we will need a
diversity of sources.”
Skjeie also welcomed the contract saying: “We are very pleased to
take on the challenge to meet ICO’s standards, and we are confident we
can deliver the highest quality within the time allotted. ICO is an
important new customer for us, and we are happy to be in the ICO
family of suppliers.”
ICO’s services will be based on a new generation of pocket-sized
mobile phones that will allow users to make and receive calls at any
time, anywhere in the world. The handsets will be dual mode, capable
of working on satellite, cellular and PCS networks. Using their
handsets, customers will be able to roam between ICO and mobile
networks around the world.
If no cellular network is available, the handset will roam to
ICO’s satellite network to offer customers unrestricted mobility and
accessibility for their communications needs.
Affordable services will be available to a wide range of users, from people living and working in remote rural areas to the international business traveller. In addition ICO will offer services to the road transport, maritime and aeronautical sectors.
About Nera ASA
Nera ASA is a Norwegian company specializing in the design, development, manufacture and marketing of wireless telecommunications equipment and systems, and the provision of related services.
Nera supplies mobile satellite terminals, land earth stations and airtime billing services, principally for the Inmarsat global satellite communications network and microwave radio relay systems and telecommunications management networks. Nera is listed on Nasdaq and on the Oslo Stock Exchange. The Nasdaq symbol is NERAY.
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