Tour de France organisers have selected Globalstar GSP-1700 satellite phones for their communications across the UK leg of the world’s most prestigious bicycle road race.
The organising committee will be using 100 of Globalstar Europe Satellite Services’ flagship phones to provide clear and reliable communications across the UK Stage 3 leg of the race – a new part of the Tour introduced for 2014. The phones will be used by members of the organising team, as well as by support and emergency crew.
Taking place from July 5 to July 27, the 101st Tour de France consists of 21 stages and will cover a total distance of 3,664km. For the first time, the race begins in Yorkshire in the UK, with Stage 1 travelling from Leeds to Harrogate, for a 20th Grand Départ abroad. The race then heads south with London rounding off Stage 3 on July 7. The Tour de France will also go through Belgium and Spain.
Tour de France organisers said Globalstar’s satellite phones were selected for their ability to deliver clear reliable voice and data communications, including in regions where mobile reach is limited or non-existent.
Gavan Murphy, director of marketing at Globalstar Europe, said: "The Tour de France has to run its operations like clockwork and reliable communications in any location is critical. This is one of the world’s greatest sporting events and we are delighted that our state-of-the-art satellite network and handsets are helping the organisers stay connected."
Globalstar’s GSP-1700 satellite phone is marketed as a small lightweight consumer-friendly handset offering the ‘fastest handheld data speeds’ available in the satcoms space and delivering the ‘best voice quality’ in the market. Users of Globalstar solutions are said to benefit from the world’s only second generation satellite network in orbit, offering latency-free crystal clear call quality.
