NEW YORK-Globalstar introduced commercial service in Russia. GlobalTel, the exclusive provider of Globalstar service in Russia, is initially providing basic telephone services, including voice mail and short message service (SMS) and will offer fax and data services in early 2001.
Service initially will be provided in Moscow, with availability later this quarter in central and eastern Russia.
Globalstar said phone prices start at US$999, and Russian call rates range from $1.19 to $1.99 per minute.
“Russia is a market with tremendous business opportunities, by virtue of its massive size and population, and its economic reliance on such vertical markets as maritime, oil and gas, mining and metallurgy, agriculture and forestry,” said Tony Navarra, Globalstar president. “Furthermore, Globalstar’s fixed phone units should be a particularly attractive product to the nearly 40,000 communities around the country where cellular or even wireline telephone service is inadequate or simply not available.”
