Thuraya launches mobile satellite communications in Korea with APSI

The announcement was made at a ceremony attended by Korean telecom officials, special guests from the corporate and telco sectors, and the media, under the patronage of Thuraya's Chaiman, Mr. Mohammad Omran.

Other special guests at today's ceremony to mark the occasion were Thuraya Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Yousuf Al Sayed, and Dr. Jang-Soo Ryoo, President and Chief Executive Officer of Asia Pacific Systems Inc (APSI).

As of today, the world leading mobile satellite operator provides border-to-border coverage in Korea and, most importantly, in remote and rural locations not covered by terrestrial mobile networks.

Thuraya's service was launched in partnership with the company's long-standing Korean business partner, APSI, which will serve as a Service Provider offering customers an array of products and solutions to suit their mobile communication requirements. Keen interest in the service is expected to come from the marine, government and emergency services sectors.

Korea is the latest market in which Thuraya has deployed its service in the Asia Pacific region, since successfully launching its Thuraya-3 satellite in January last year. The region's strong maritime, defence and oil and gas industries make it a potentially lucrative expansion zone for Thuraya, which already dominates the world's mobile satellite handset market and is aggressively rolling out data products across all its target industry verticals.

"Given Korea's exceptional domestic telecommunications infrastructure, Thuraya has been eager for a long time to work with a local partner to provide an affordable, high quality mobile satellite solution in this market,"

said Thuraya's CEO Mr. Yousuf Al Sayed.

"We are confident that APSI's strong distribution channel will ensure Thuraya's products and solutions proliferate in the market and attract customers across the maritime, defence, oil and gas and emergency response sectors."

According to the Korean Maritime Institute, the Asian region is emerging as a center for the world's maritime economy.

Asia-Pacific countries operate more than 40% of the world's fleet and the region is home to 11 of the world's top 20 container shipping operators. In fact, half of the world's 24 busiest container ports are in Asia, and more than one third of world trade either originates in, or is destined for, this region.

"We have already seen positive market response to Thuraya and we are certain of a rapid uptake of Thuraya's cutting edge services to meet the needs of corporations demanding reliable communication tools," said Dr. Jang-Soo Ryoo President and CEO of APSI.

He also added that Thuraya's leadership is a result of its extensive coverage area coupled with its high-quality products and services that bridge the communication gap in areas which are unserved by terrestrial networks.