USA: Stratos Global Deploys StratosMAX II Broadband Service Across GoM

Stratos Global, the leading global provider of advanced mobile and fixed-site remote communications solutions, today announced it has begun deployment of its new StratosMAX II broadband service across the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) region.

The new StratosMAX II service provides last-mile radio connectivity accessing Stratos’ industry-leading digital microwave network. It connects customers back to shore through diverse shore crossings and onshore Stratos interconnection facilities.

StratosMAX II now is providing reliable voice service, high-speed Internet connectivity, Stratos Hot Spot WiFi service and a wide range of mobile communications applications to oil rigs, platforms, offshore vessels and professionals managing the Gulf Oil Disaster containment and cleanup efforts.

The IP-based StratosMAX II service is consistent with the high-bandwidth, low-latency features of Stratos’ microwave services and it is competitively priced against VSAT and legacy radio technologies.

Stratos MAX II is based on WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) standards. WiMAX technology is provisioned by Stratos over licensed spectrum across the GoM. Data rates with StratosMAX II are comparable to land-based DSL and cable-modem service.

“Stratos has more than a decade of experience serving the demanding communications requirements of the energy and transportation industries in the often harsh GoM environment,” said George V. Head, Stratos Senior Vice President, Broadband Services. “The introduction of StratosMAX II provides our customers with another significant advancement in GoM remote communications to complement the Stratos microwave network. The new service maximizes performance, flexibility, scalability and ease of use while minimizing communications costs for drilling rigs, platforms and offshore vessels.”

About StratosMAX II

Stratos is deploying StratosMAX II to more than half of its planned sites this year and will complete the initial deployment by the middle of next year. StratosMAX II will significantly expand market coverage from Stratos’ already extensive microwave network in the GoM. StratosMAX II service levels will range up to 10Mbps and provide ultra-low-latency communications not available from VSAT alternatives. This low-latency feature enables superior service quality and customer experience for lag-sensitive applications such as corporate VPN access, voice and video communications.

In addition to the high-quality connectivity back to the Internet, voice services, and corporate networks, StratosMAX II provides a VSAT-based, service-continuity feature to ensure that mission-critical communications are not impacted by short-duration service interruptions in the GoM. This feature provides customers with a level of performance and reliability that is unparalleled in the GoM.

About Stratos Broadband Services Group

Stratos is one of the largest suppliers of vital communications systems (VSAT, MSS and microwave) to the offshore energy industry in key regions around the world, including the GoM where Stratos operates the largest and only comprehensive microwave network. Stratos microwave and VSAT networks provide offshore facilities reliable, high-speed data for file transfers, voice, video conferencing, email, fax and web access – all of which combine to make the network an extension of the corporate office. The Stratos Broadband Services Group is based in Houston, with offices in Lafayette, La., Morgan City, La., New Orleans and Denver.

The Stratos microwave network in the GoM features multiple ring architecture, redundant beach crossings and enhanced systems for provisioning, service assurance and network monitoring. Stratos investments over the last several years to upgrade and expand the functionality and resilience of its microwave network have exceeded US$6 million. Examples include installation of Ethernet radios, replacement of onshore radio hops with fiber optics, and continued transition to an IP-based network to provide high-bandwidth, cost-effective services such as WiMAX.

About Stratos

Stratos is the world’s trusted leader for vital communications. Stratos offers the most powerful and extensive portfolio of remote communications solutions including mobile and fixed satellite and microwave services. More than 20,000 customers use Stratos products and industry-leading value-added services to optimize communications performance. Stratos serves U.S. and international government, military, first responder, NGO, oil and gas, industrial, maritime, aeronautical, enterprise, and media users on seven continents and across the world’s oceans. Stratos is a wholly owned subsidiary of Inmarsat plc.

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Source: PRNewswire, September 1, 2010,