Globalstar Europe Satellite Services announced that Globalstar devices, including SPOT satellite GPS messengers have to date played a role in over 10,000 rescues worldwide.
This landmark milestone includes incidents, many of which being life-threatening, where emergency support was rapidly delivered precisely where needed thanks to satellite-enabled alerts from economical and rugged Globalstar devices.
Rescues have taken place all over the globe, including over 7,000 in North America. To date, there have been 479 rescues in EMEA (including 376 in Europe and 103 in Africa), and 569 in APAC (of which 462 were in Australia).
Globalstar’s compact and cost-effective SPOT devices provide reliable, near-global coverage thanks to Globalstar's next-generation Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite network. Always-on connectivity and real-time tracking capabilities are assured, even in remote or challenging environments where traditional telecom networks may be unavailable.
SPOT Gen4 was designed for outdoor recreation, and has been embraced by adventure enthusiasts whose activities take them beyond reliable mobile network coverage. Its always-on, ubiquitous tracking and user-centric functionality make SPOT Gen4 an increasingly popular companion for outdoorspeople of all kinds, delivering peace of mind to users, their friends and family, all over the world.
In an emergency, pressing SPOT’s one-touch SOS button instantly sends an alert including the user's GPS coordinates to Globalstar partner, FocusPoint, SPOT’s 24/7 crisis response centre. From there, needs are assessed and local first responders are engaged in order to dispatch help rapidly.
SPOT X offers two-way SMS and email messaging as well as GPS tracking and one-touch SOS. SPOT X is the only satellite messenger on the market to give users free incoming messages, easy check-in function and a full, backlit QWERTY keypad for intuitive typing. SPOT X also offers the industry’s longest battery life in both tracking and SOS modes and is priced competitively.
The activities that have accounted for the 10,000 rescues vary widely, but the majority of emergency incidents happened while users were engaging in motorsport/driving (2,503), hiking and mountain sports (2,241), and boating (1,007).
SPOT devices have also seen dramatic increases in uptake by a diversity of organisational customers. For a professional user such as a lone or at-risk worker, SPOT devices can be configured to transmit alerts to an organisation’s operations or security centre.
The UK Ministry of Defence (MOD), for example, uses SPOT Gen4 satellite GPS messengers to track and provide safety for Royal Air Force (RAF) Force Protection personnel during training exercises.
The tracking solution provided by SPOT Value Added Reseller 3S Group is the sole tracking system recommended by the Duke of Edinburgh Award (DofE) to safeguard young people on expeditions. SPOT was chosen for its reach, ease of use and reliability, providing schools, parents, and public and nature authorities, with peace of mind, while enabling good welfare governance.
SPOT devices are today providing communication and safety for solo-working staff, or those who operate in hazardous environments, at an array of commercial and non-commercial organisations. These include disaster relief agencies, utilities suppliers, forestry agencies as well as civil, national and multinational defence organisations.
All these users recognise that whenever their activities take them beyond the reach of conventional cellular networks or other terrestrial communications systems, only satellite technology can provide trustworthy and ubiquitous connectivity.
“We are extremely proud to have played a role in over 10,000 rescues worldwide,” said Mark O’Connell, Globalstar EMEA & APAC General Manager. “As the capabilities, reach and reliability of the Globalstar family of products become ever more widely acknowledged, we look forward to continuing to provide critical emergency support to adventurers, sportspeople and professional users wherever they travel.”