SAN FRANCISCO-Telstra Corp. Ltd. and KPN of the Netherlands said they may merge their global mobile satellite businesses to form a joint venture aimed at being a major player in the global satellite industry.
The companies would contribute approximately a combined $200 million in existing assets to launch the venture.
“The new entity would … enjoy a start-up combined global marketshare of some 24 percent, making it a major player in the global satcoms industry,” said Joop Drechsel, a member of KPN’s board of management. “The medium- to long-term plan for the joint venture is to acquire significant marketshare via a combination of organic growth and acquisitions, with a possible [initial public offering] further down the track.”
The company also introduced TopUp, a prepaid offering consisting of a Code Division Multiple Access handset with free connection and $22 of included call credits on the account, all for about $63.
When the account starts running low, the system will automatically alert the customer. Customers then can “top up” their accounts by credit card, direct debit, the BPay system, over the Internet or in person at a Telstra Shop, the company said.
