 | | | | Globalstar extends Equant IP VPN services through February 2007 Contract extension by leading U.S. provider of handheld satellite phone service underscores Equant's role as company's services and technology partner
| Washington - May 4, 2004 - Equant (NYSE: ENT) (Euronext Paris: EQU) has extended its IP VPN services contract with Globalstar through February 2007. |
| This contract renewal demonstrates Equant's strategy to develop global, customized and integrated communications services, leveraging its high-end IP VPN strengths, with a particular focus on growing its customer base in the North American market. |
| Headquartered in San Jose, Calif., Globalstar is the world's most widely used handheld satellite phone service, providing high-quality, low-cost voice and data services to businesses, communities and individuals around the world. In December 2002, Globalstar signed a one-year contract with Equant to upgrade its legacy network with Equant's flagship IP VPN solution. Realizing the advantages of partnering with Equant for its global telecommunications infrastructure, Globalstar decided to extend the agreement for another 36 months. |
| "The fully managed Equant IP VPN solution has clearly enhanced our capabilities to provide high-quality satellite communication services to our customers around the globe," said Daniel P. McEntee, vice president and chief financial officer of Globalstar. "Equant's unique ability to ensure quality of service in remote locations where we operate is crucial to our operation. We appreciate Equant's flexible, results-oriented approach, and we consider them an important services and technology partner." |
| From the beginning, Equant worked closely with Globalstar, analyzing the company's specific requirements in order to design a customized IP VPN solution with flexible contract terms and a package of important support services - including professional Project Management, Cisco Procurement and extended Service Management with a dedicated customer service manager. |
| Currently, Globalstar leverages the any-to-any connectivity of Equant IP VPN at 15 earth stations in North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific and the Middle East. The secure, cost-effective IP VPN plays a critical role in Globalstar's ability to manage and control its low-earth-orbit satellite constellation. In particular, Globalstar is gaining cost and performance benefits from the solution's MPLS (Multi-Protocol Label Switching) technology, with five classes of service (CoS) that permit the prioritization of Globalstar's business communications applications. |
| "We are happy to have played a part in the Globalstar success story," said Bruce Smith, Equant's senior vice president of Markets and Sales for North America. "Building this type of business relationship, based on loyalty and trust, is our fundamental goal in serving our customers worldwide." |
About Globalstar | Headquartered in San Jose, Calif., Globalstar is the world's most widely-used handheld satellite phone service, providing high-quality, low-cost voice and data services to businesses, communities and individuals around the world. Globalstar, which was established in 1991 and began commercial service in 1999, currently offers service from virtually anywhere across over 100 countries, as well as from most territorial waters and several mid-ocean regions. Signals from a Globalstar phone or modem are received by the company's constellation of Low Earth Orbiting (LEO) satellites and relayed to ground-based gateways, which then pass the call on the terrestrial public switched telephone network. |
About Equant | Equant (NYSE: ENT) (Euronext Paris: EQU) is a recognized industry leader in global communications services for multinational businesses. Equant combines its network expertise - including unmatched seamless network reach in 220 countries and territories and local support in approximately 165 countries - with its expanded services capabilities to provide global, integrated and customized communication services to enable its customers key business processes. Equant serves thousands of the world's top companies, with the industry's most extensive portfolio of communications services and network solutions, including the market-leading IP VPN used by more than 1,200 global businesses as of March 31, 2004. Equant, a subsidiary of France Telecom, was named Best Global Carrier 2003 and Best Managed Service 2003 at the World Communication Awards and consistently leads industry surveys in corporate user satisfaction. |
| This release may contain projections or other forward-looking statements related to Equant that involve risks and uncertainties. Readers are cautioned that these statements are only predictions and may differ materially from actual future results or events. Readers are referred to the documents filed by Equant with the SEC, specifically the most recent filing on Form 20-F, which identify important risk factors that could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, including, among other things, risks relating to Equant's history of operating losses, the unpredictability of growth in Equant's markets, changing technology, uncertain and changing regulatory restrictions, Equant's international operations, dependence on suppliers, network security issues, competition, and volatility of Equant's stock price and risks relating to the combination with Global One. All forward-looking statements are based on information available to Equant on the date hereof, and Equant assumes no obligation to update such statements. |
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