Globalstar said Monday that satellite phone service remains uninterrupted in the Gulf of Mexico and Southeastern U.S., including Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida, following the landfall of Hurricane Katrina.
Additionally, the company is airlifting additional units to local representatives in the area to accommodate growing demand from relief agencies and citizens.
"It's critical for emergency organizations, businesses and private individuals to have access to reliable communications during a natural disaster such as this. Globalstar was designed from the beginning to provide continuous communications regardless of events on the ground. The Globalstar network is performing exactly as intended," said Jay Monroe, Chairman and CEO of Globalstar.
"We are working closely with our customers, dealers and response agencies to ensure they have access to the Globalstar equipment they need to keep their operations going."
Globalstar, which has a long-standing relationship with FEMA and other state and local disaster relief and first responder agencies, is working closely with these organizations to ensure that vital communications capabilities for relief workers are accessible and reliable.
Service in the region is provided by the Globalstar satellite network, and two ground-based satellite gateways; one in Texas, and the other in Sebring, Fla.
The Sebring Gateway became operational in July under special temporary authority from the FCC that Globalstar requested specifically to ensure that enhanced Globalstar service in the region would be available prior to the start of hurricane season.
