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14 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News Stratos was formed by two entrepre- neurs and initially began as two separate entities: a data communications business (known as Ultimateast Data Communications) and a two-way radio technology company (called Sea Link). Each company was formed with the goal of meeting the communication require- ments of the maritime community; Sea Link providing radio telephone call services for fishing, oil, and mining operations; Ultimateast providing com- puter services for fishing trawlers and other maritime customers. The compa- nies operated separately, but were owned by the same investors, and many of the products developed at Ultimateeast were used to provide serv- ices to Sea Link customers. As Sea Link moved into selling Inmarsat satellite equipment and airtime to maritime cus- tomers, the decision was made to fold Sea Link and Ultimateast into one com- pany called New East Wireless Telecom. Its new focus was to become a value- added reseller of satellite communica- tions services. This company would later be renamed as Stratos. Today, Stratos is headquartered in Bethesda, Md., with more than 600 employees in offices worldwide. The company has stayed true to its maritime beginnings; maintaining a strong relationship with shipping and fishing fleets by providing high-speed voice and data solutions for crew calling and fleet management. Customers include blue-water fishing and cargo fleets such as Hong Kong's Wallem Group, Worldwide Shipping, Teekay Shipping, and the Marine Contracting Association Limited. One of the most important compo- nents of Stratos's product offering is the Fleet F77 system. Manufactured by Inmarsat, a separate communications company, the Fleet F77 system is the latest-generation Inmarsat maritime communications solution. It is ideally suited to larger vessels (such as mer- chant and cargo ships, tankers, and super yachts) which require a complete office at sea, and is designed to provide a sin- gle integrated platform to support both dedicated, high-speed ISDN and always-on mobile packet data service (MPDS), as well as voice and Group 3 and 4 fax services. According to the company, Stratos is one of the world's largest providers of the Fleet F77 prod- uct. Installed on an oil tanker owned by Hong Kong's Wallem Group, the system proved its ability to integrate Wallem's existing systems; specifically, shipboard Satcom Circle 238 on Reader Service Card Circle 228 on Reader Service Card Circle 225 on Reader Service Card GMT ELECTRONICS, Inc. Marine Electronics Sales, Service and Installations NMEA Dealers for: FURUNO * SIMRAD * RAYTHEON * ANSHUTZ KVH * SEATEL * ICOM *STANDARD *MORAD *KOBELT Navigation equipment Satellite systems, Voice and Data FURUNO and SIMRAD A.I.S. Systems KVH Ship security alert system Autopilots and KOBELT steering controls A/B Automation Systems Structured wiring, modular systems to distribute Video, Telephone, Data networking and RF-TV 171 Main St. South River, NJ 08882 Phone (732) 651-1213 Fax (732) 651-0119 GMT Electronics MR FEB 06.pdf 2/2/2006 10:58:57 AM Insulation Specialists - Thermal - Acoustical - Fireproofing SEI manufactures covers for the offshore and marine industries Introducing “Fire-Temp”®Covers for fuel valves and actuators Let us take care of all your insulation and fire - proofing needs We accept Mastercard, Visa and Amex WANT SUPERIOR QUALITY WANT SUPERIOR SERVICE CALL SUPERIOR ENERGIES, INC P.O. Drawer 386, Groves TX 77619 Telephone: (409) 962-8549 Fax: (409) 962-4027 Website: www.insulationsei.com Circle 255 on Reader Service Card Company Profile: Stratos MR FEBRUARY2006 #2 (9-16).qxd 2/2/2006 11:12 AM Page 14
