COMSAT Corporation announced that it has won a satellite services contract from the United States Navy, with a maximum value of $111.9 million over a five-year period.

Under the terms of the agreement, COMSAT Mobile Communications (CMC) will provide global satellite service over the Inmarsat system for 64 kbps high-speed data, along with voice and multimedia communications. These services will be provided to any of the Navyıs 11 deployed battlegroups and their associated Marine amphibious readiness groups, and include ship-to-shore, ship-to-ship, and shore-to-ship communications.
The contract is an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity ordering agreement, which means the Navy leases and pays for services on an as-needed basis. The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR), headquartered in San Diego, Calif., has already issued the first service delivery order for $1.972 million to begin July 1, 1999. Communications services will be provided worldwide, depending on the location of deployed Naval forces.
COMSAT Mobile Communications provides service over Inmarsat satellites in geosynchronous orbit 22,300 miles above the equator, in combination with COMSATıs global network of land earth stations and 24-hour customer support. CMC is a business unit of COMSAT Corporation that provides maritime, aeronautical and land mobile satellite services to customers around the world via the Inmarsat satellite system.