BBC Works with Stratos to Become First News Organization to File Reports Using BGAN Mobile Satellite Service, Via an HNS terminal

BBC Works with Stratos to Become First News Organization to File Reports Using BGAN Mobile Satellite Service, Via an HNS terminal

BETHESDA, Maryland, February 21/PRNewswire/ --

- BGAN assists BBC Newsgathering in the Philippines' mudslide-affected
disaster area

Stratos Global Corp. (TSX: SGB), a leading global communications provider
and the world's leading distributor of Inmarsat satellite services, today
announced it has helped the BBC to successfully transmit store-and-forward
broadcast news reports from the Philippines mudslide-affected disaster area
using Inmarsat's new Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN) mobile satellite
service. The BBC's television report tonight on the mudslide recovery effort
was the first news report ever to be transmitted using BGAN via an HNS 9201
terminal.

For many years, Stratos has served as one of the satellite communications
companies providing the BBC with solutions that enable reporters to send live
television and radio reports via satellite around the world. The new BGAN
service is faster and uses satellite terminals that are lighter and smaller
than those offered by any other mobile satellite service.

The mudslides first hit Guinsaugon village in the Philippines' southern
Leyte Province on Feb. 17 and a BBC journalist and cameraman began reporting
from the affected area on Feb. 19. Normal communications methods are not an
option in Guinsaugon and reporters have been relying on satellite to send
their reports from the remote region. The village is located more than six
hours from the nearest airport in Leyte's provincial capital of Tacloban.
Tacloban is nearly 650 kilometers (400 miles) from the Philippine capital of
Manila.

"Stratos has been working hard to help the BBC integrate BGAN into its
newsgathering infrastructure. The BBC's success in using BGAN this week
demonstrates how the service allows lightweight newsgathering in remote
regions, with the minimum of equipment. This enables newsgathering crews to
file from areas that have little or no telecommunications infrastructure,"
said Ian Canning, Stratos' managing director, EMEA.

Canning added, "BGAN's high-speed, streaming-IP service helps the BBC
deliver content as quickly as possible to audiences worldwide. Also, the HNS
9201 terminal combines ultimate performance with an extremely rugged design.
It is the highest-bandwidth terminal in the range and the only one to support
WLAN connectivity."

Using compact, lightweight satellite terminals about the size of small
laptop PCs, BGAN offers IP data speeds of up to 492 kbps. The service is
designed for broadcasters who need dependable, secure voice and broadband
access in locations where terrestrial or cellular communications are
nonexistent or unreliable. It is ideal for on-the-scene connectivity when
satellite news vans are unavailable or unfeasible - or as a reliable,
portable back-up solution.

As the leading global provider of Inmarsat services, Stratos combines
around-the-clock global support, an unrivaled terrestrial backbone network,
and sophisticated online account management tools to meet the needs of
broadcasters - as well as professionals in the military, government, aid,
energy, engineering and construction markets.

A fully functional BGAN system can be set up and shut down in minutes,
without special technical expertise. The smallest BGAN terminal weighs less
than one kilo and full-featured terminals provide streaming IP and background
IP data options, as well as WLAN capability for multi-user access.

About Stratos

Stratos Global Corporation (www.stratosglobal.com) is a publicly traded
company (TSX: SGB) and the leading global provider of a wide range of
advanced mobile and fixed-site remote communications solutions for users
operating beyond the reach of traditional networks. With its
owned-and-operated infrastructure and extensive portfolio of industry-leading
satellite and microwave technologies (including Inmarsat, Iridium,
Globalstar, MSAT, VSAT, and others), Stratos serves the voice and high-speed
data connectivity requirements of a diverse array of markets, including
government, military, energy, industrial, maritime, aeronautical, enterprise,
media and recreational users throughout the world.

Source: Stratos Global Corp.

Doug Gunster, Manager, Communications, +1-301-968-1954, doug.gunster@stratosglobal.com

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