SAN JOSE, CA, March 12, 2003 – Globalstar, the world’s most widely-used handheld satellite phone service, today announced commercial availability of a new, very-low-cost data monitoring and acquisition service for asset tracking and sensory telemetry monitoring.

The new service, which uses palm-size simplex modems developed in cooperation with AeroAstro, Inc., is now available across eastern regions of the U.S. and Canada, and will be introduced across virtually all continental regions in these two countries by the end of March. Globalstar is also already working to extend this service to other areas of the world, beginning with parts of Europe and the North Atlantic Ocean, where service is expected to begin by mid-year.

Over 400 simplex modems are now being placed into active service with a first group of customers in two important industrial applications:

– Asset tracking: Globalstar AeroAstro simplex modems attached to cargo containers will track their location as they are hauled by truck or rail around North America. Global positioning system (GPS) information on each container is automatically sent back to a central control office via Globalstar’s satellite constellation, allowing the customer to track the position of its container fleet in real time, even when the containers are in remote locations.

– Meter reading: Globalstar AeroAstro modems attached to liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tanks in both the U.S. and Canada will automatically alert the gas supply company whenever tanks are running low of fuel. Fuel deliveries can now be made precisely when needed without relying on manual meter reading.

“These new data modems are ready to revolutionize the economics of asset tracking and remote sensing,” said Paul Thomas, Globalstar’s vice president of data services. “Globalstar already provides inexpensive satellite communications service from remote locations, and when combined with our low-cost simplex modem, our system can provide data services that are exceptionally cost-effective across a wide range of applications.”

The Globalstar simplex modem unit is now available through the company’s network of value-added resellers, who package the modems with housings and sensors specifically designed for a wide range of industrial applications, including:
 LPG monitoring from Globalstar reseller Xtero Datacom Inc.
 Tractor and trailer tracking from iNet-Blue Corporation.
 Asset tracking and remote monitoring from AeroAstro, Inc.
 High-security mobile asset tracking from SARS, Inc.
 Emergency messages from automobiles from Auto-Bolt Security Systems

Additionally, an integrated asset tracking product, which comprises a Globalstar AeroAstro simplex modem unit along with batteries and antenna in a single package, is available from Axonn LLC for use in customized solutions.

Globalstar expects to continue expanding its network of resellers in the near future to serve a wide range of industries such as pipeline monitoring, oil and gas pumping stations, and utility meter reading.

The new modem allows data to be sent at regular pre-set intervals and/or whenever a specific event, such as a rise in temperature or the opening of a lock, triggers an external sensor. The data is sent by the modem over the Globalstar satellite network and then transmitted to the customer's data collection facility via the Internet.

For example, the new Globalstar AeroAstro simplex modem makes it possible to economically monitor pipeline conditions such as pressure and throughput, at regular intervals and in real-time across a field or across a continent, allowing extremely rapid notification of a pipeline break or other anomaly. For shippers, the modems can provide the location of their containers, affording immediate notification of any emergency situations.

With these features, assets may be tracked even in very remote locations, and, if coordinated with customs officials and electronic locks to create a bonded security environment, these modems can also be used to streamline freight traffic at international border crossings.

More information on Globalstar’s network of value-added resellers may be found on their respective websites:

AeroAstro, Inc.: www.aeroastro.com
Auto-Bolt Security Systems: www.autobolt.com
Axonn LLC: www.axonn.com
iNet-Blue Corporation: www.inet-blue.com
SARS, Inc.: www.sarsinc.com
Xtero Datacom Inc.: www.xtero.com

Globalstar is a provider of global mobile satellite telecommunications services, offering both voice and data services from virtually anywhere in over 100 countries around the world. For more information, visit Globalstar’s website at http://www.globalstar.com