ORBCOMM Global, L.P. (ORBCOMM), the first commercial provider of global low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite data and messaging communications services, today announced it has signed a subscriber communicator manufacturing agreement with Telital, a leading Italian company producing cellular and satellite terminals. Telital will develop both fixed and mobile subscriber communicators (SCs) for the ORBCOMM satellite network - SCs are small communications devices used to transmit and receive data messages from any point on the globe. Telital expects to bring its new equipment to market in Europe, South America and China by early 2000.

Telital will specifically target industrial users with application needs including monitoring, tracking and communicating with mobile equipment such as trucks and trailers, marine vessels and rail cars. In addition, Telital will market its communicators to utility and oil and gas companies seeking to monitor remote fixed assets such as oil wells, pipelines and electric meters. MCS Europe, the exclusive licensee and network operator of ORBCOMM services in the European market, recently surpassed 1,400 ORBCOMM subscriber communicators activated to serve customers across a wide range of industries.

Telital's headquarters are in Trieste, Italy, and its Satellite User Terminal Division, which will have primary responsibility for the ORBCOMM SC product line, is based in Rome. IXTANT, an Italian company with a prominent position in the European contract electronics manufacturing market, will produce the ORBCOMM communicators on Telital's behalf. Telital expects to release specific product line information later this year.

"We are excited about this agreement with Telital," said Scott L. Webster, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of ORBCOMM. "Telital has the experience and distribution channels to develop and deliver these new ORBCOMM products to industrial users in Asia, Europe and South America. ORBCOMM extends a company's enterprise management system, by giving managers a cost-effective tool to monitor and track assets anywhere in the world. Telital's equipment will help deliver a new world of information to customers' desktops. We look forward to a long and successful partnership."

"Telital is strongly interested in the satellite user terminal market," said Enrico Salvatori, Vice President of Telital's Satellite User Terminal Division. "Telital believes that this market is ready to experience rapid growth and that Telital's design, development and manufacturing experience can be channeled to produce cutting-edge satellite products in terms of both performance and cost. With its track record and impressive terrestrial distribution network, ORBCOMM has all the characteristics of a successful service."

Telital is the only producer of cellular and satellite terminals in Italy. It is currently diversifying its product and market segments, which include infrastructure for mobile networks, technology for fixed and mobile network convergence, related multimedia applications and automotive infomobility within a larger industrial group in a global perspective. The Telital Group has an installed productive capacity of 10 million terminal equivalents per year. It currently employs approximately 600 researchers in 7 laboratories throughout Europe and is planning to invest over 300 million USD in research and development in the next three years. Telital also produces dual-mode GSM/Globalstar user terminals for the Globalstar system

MCS Europe (The European Company for Mobile Communication Services B.V.) is a joint venture, established by five leading satellite communications companies including Telespazio, part of the Telecom Italia Group, a worldwide leader in telecommunications. Telespazio provides proven satellite systems consultancy, engineering and management for mobile communication and multimedia applications. MCS Europe is the exclusive licensee and network operator of ORBCOMM services in the European market, including all 40 Western and East European countries.

ORBCOMM provides two-way monitoring, tracking and messaging services through the world's first low-Earth orbit satellite-based data communications system. ORBCOMM applications include tracking of mobile assets such as trailers, rail cars, heavy equipment, fishing vessels, barges and government assets; monitoring of fixed assets such as electric utility meters, oil and gas storage tanks, wells and pipelines and environmental projects; and messaging services for consumers and commercial and government entities.

ORBCOMM is a partnership owned by Orbital Sciences Corporation (NYSE: ORB) and Teleglobe Inc. of Canada. Teleglobe is listed on the NYSE, TSE (Toronto Stock Exchange) and ME (Montreal Exchange) under the TGO symbol. Orbital is a space technology company that designs, manufactures and markets a broad range of space products and satellite-based services. Orbital's experience includes carrying out more than 275 satellite, rocket and space payload missions during the past 15 years. Teleglobe Inc. is recognized as a world leader in global telecommunications. The Teleglobe network links North America with more than 240 countries and territories.

See also
Orbcomm section
Orbcomm Appoints African SPs
Telital Makes Orbcomm Terminals
Orbcomm Subscriber Units
Orbcomm Ground Segment 
Explanation of LEO, MEO, GEO satellite systems
Mobile satellite Services
Glossary of satellite terms
http://www.orbcomm.com

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