ICO Global Communications, another would-be mobile satellite provider is continuing to expand its ICOroam service across Europe, using the terrestrial cellular service to build an existing customer base that be harvested when ICO starts retail operations later next year.
The latest contracts are with TMN (Portugal), Eircell (Ireland) and Pacific Cellular (Taiwan). As a result, ICOroam is now available to eight million GSM cellular users, enabling them to roam into the popular cellular standard (ANSI-41-AMPS) in the United States using their current GSM telephone numbers.
In February 1999, ICO announced that KPN of the Netherlands and Cellnet of the UK were the first cellular network operators to offer ICOroam to their customers. The agreement with Pacific Cellular chalks up another milestone for ICO as it is the first agreement of its kind that ICO has announced with a network operator in Asia.
Dr Fredrik Verkroost, ICO's Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, said: "These agreements show we can complement and add value to the roaming services offered by cellular network operators. Most importantly, they show we can meet the needs of international business travellers roaming across areas of incompatible cellular standards. Business people move mainly between business centres that are served well by local cellular networks. ICOroam provides them with a convenient and practical way of keeping in touch."
ICOroam provides a major improvement in mobile communications to GSM subscribers travelling to North America. Using the new automated provisioning system developed by ICO, travellers can order the service and be activated in just a few hours, ensuring that they are contactable from the moment their plane lands at any international US or Canadian airport. At any time during their stay they can place and receive calls (subject to network availability) using their home cellular number and account. In addition, ICOroam provides 24-hour, end-to-end customer care service.
