Thailand authorizes Globalstar mobile satellite and ground station operations.
The announcement was made at the commencement of Satellite 2023 in Washington, D.C.
March 13, 2023, COVINGTON, La.- Globalstar, Inc. (NYSE American: GSAT), today announced that the Kingdom of Thailand’s Office of The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) has authorized the provision of Globalstar mobile satellite services throughout Thailand, including the authority to operate its new ground station at Thaicom’s Teleport Center in Patumthani province north of Bangkok.
“Globalstar is the first and only LEO constellation of satellites to be authorized to provide service in the Kingdom of Thailand,” said L. Barbee Ponder, Globalstar General Counsel, and Vice President of Regulatory Affairs. “Our new ground station at Thaicom’s Teleport Center joins twenty-seven other stations in seventeen countries to provide the finest mobile satellite services, including critical Emergency SOS communications, to hundreds of millions of people globally. These achievements would not have been possible without the support of our partner, Thaicom Public Company Limited.”
“We are very pleased to partner with Globalstar,” said Patompob (Nile) Suwansiri, Thaicom’s Chief Executive Officer. “This collaboration is a strategic move in expanding our portfolio of cooperation with a leading global LEO operator which will complement our existing satellite services. Our experience and expertise in the satellite industry, along with Globalstar’s world-class services for personnel safety and management will serve to provide our customers with advanced satellite solutions for the digital era. We believe this strategic alliance between the two companies will lay the foundation for a long-term relationship and sustainable growth in the satellite industry in this region.”
Thailand’s National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission approved the operation of a ground station by US-based satellite service provider Globalstar, allowing it to provide nationwide mobile services.
Thaicom’s teleport center in Pathum Thani province, north of Bangkok, houses the ground station.
L. Barbee Ponder, Globalstar’s VP of regulatory affairs, stated that the station joins 27 others in 17 countries, making it the first company in Thailand to be authorized to deliver services via a constellation of low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites.
Thaicom has four satellites in operation.
Gulf Energy Development, through a subsidiary, acquired a 41.1 percent stake in Thaicom from InTouch, the largest shareholder of Thai mobile operator AIS, in December 2022.