Globalstar, the world’s most widely-used handheld satellite phone service, today announced that its service quality in the high-traffic Caribbean region has been dramatically improved, following the installation of a fourth antenna at its regional gateway at Las Palmas, Puerto Rico.The new, additional antenna gives the gateway greater capability and flexibility in maintaining uninterrupted, high-quality radio links with the constantly moving constellation of Globalstar satellites. As a result, users in the region’s existing coverage area should now see substantially greater reliability.

Earlier this year, Globalstar announced a two-phase plan to improve and augment its Caribbean service coverage. This plan called for the installation of a fourth antenna at Las Palmas and for the construction of an entirely new gateway in Florida. The first phase of this plan has now been completed, and work on the new Florida gateway has already begun, with completion expected in early 2005.

“The quality of our Caribbean service is now stepping up toward the same high level of dependability that our customers have become accustomed to in virtually all other parts of our worldwide service coverage area,” said Tony Navarra, president of Globalstar LLC. “Once the new Florida gateway is completed, we should be able to provide our customers throughout the region with the same excellent service that they have come to expect from Globalstar elsewhere around the world.”
——-