Blue Ocean Wireless & Inmarsat Announce Sponsorship of Tony Bullimore's Attempt to Break the Solo Round the World Sailing Record



    Blue Ocean Wireless, an Irish company focused on providing GSM
    communication capability to the merchant maritime sector, and Inmarsat
    (LSE:ISAT), the leading provider of global mobile satellite
    communications, today announced their sponsorship of British
    yachtsman, Tony Bullimore's attempt to break the solo round the world
    sailing record.

    Domhnal Slattery, Chairman of Blue Ocean Wireless commented, "We
    are delighted to announce our sponsorship of Tony Bullimore in his
    attempt to break the solo round the world sailing record in the Blue
    Ocean Wireless Round the World Challenge."

    He added, "Our commitment, at Blue Ocean Wireless, is to provide
    seafarers and crews of merchant maritime vessels with the capability
    to use their existing GSM handset in deep ocean water. Tony will be
    sailing across the world's deepest oceans in the most remote
    locations. Our service will provide Tony with access to a
    satellite-enabled GSM network in these locations, connecting to the
    Inmarsat services with a standard handset, for voice calls and SMS
    messaging."

    Robert Johnson, Director of Maritime Services for Inmarsat said,
    "Inmarsat has championed the benefits of crew communications for many
    years and, as a Master Mariner and someone about to embark on this
    challenging record attempt, it will be very close to Tony's heart too.
    We are pleased to join with Blue Ocean Wireless, who are developing
    some truly innovative uses for Inmarsat services, in this exciting
    sponsorship. We hope it not only raises our profile and that of Tony's
    record attempt, but also sends a message about the positive impact on
    morale that crew communications can offer."

    Tony Bullimore commented "I am delighted to have the support of
    both Blue Ocean Wireless and Inmarsat in my attempt to break the round
    the world record. It will be a challenge and it is important to have
    the most robust communications systems on-board. Knowing that I have
    both access to the Inmarsat system and the Blue Ocean Wireless network
    means that I can maintain contact with my support team throughout the
    journey in any conditions and from any location."

    Press Conference

    Blue Ocean Wireless and Inmarsat are hosting a press conference to
    launch Blue Ocean Wireless and host a live interview with Tony
    Bullimore today, March 28, at 10.30am at the offices of Inmarsat plc,
    99 City Road, London EC1Y 1AX. A live dial in facility for those
    unable to attend is also available on +44 20 7138 0813.

    Blue Ocean Wireless Round the World Challenge: The Course

    Tony Bullimore is on stand-by to begin the Blue Ocean Wireless
    Round the World Challenge to break the 70 day barrier for sailing solo
    non-stop around the world. From Tasmania, the 27,000 mile course will
    take Bullimore straight down into the Southern Ocean where the
    westerly winds in the Roaring Forty latitudes will slingshot him
    across the first 5,000 mile stage to Cape Horn. He will then follow
    the South American coast northwards to the Equator, from where he must
    pick his way through the calms of the Doldrums and those associated
    with the Azores high pressure system, to round the island of Flores
    before returning southwards to the Cape of Good Hope.

    Once in the Indian Ocean, the British yachtsman will rely on his
    weather router to help him to avoid the worst of the Roaring Forty
    winds that will speed him towards Cape Leuwin marking the Western tip
    of Australia and past the point where Bullimore famously spent 5 dark
    days capsized during the 1997/8 Vendee Globe Race. Once across the
    Australian Bight, he must navigate his way around Bass Strait and back
    to Hobart.

    The course has been sanctioned by the World Sailing Speed Record
    Council (www.sailspeedrecords.com) which will time Bullimore's start
    and finish from Tasmania and monitor his progress around the world.
    The distance is exactly the same as if he started from Ushant on the
    north west tip of France where Dame Ellen Macarthur, the current
    record holder began her 71 day, 14 hour, 18 minute voyage last year.

    About Blue Ocean Wireless

    Blue Ocean Wireless is an Irish company focused on expanding
    communication capability in the merchant maritime sector. Blue Ocean
    Wireless is a joint venture between private investment firm, Claret
    Capital, and Irish technology communications company, Altobridge. Blue
    Ocean Wireless will provide, for the first time, GSM connectivity for
    seafarers in deep ocean water, where no other network exists, which
    allows users to make and receive voice calls, send and receive SMS
    text and email messages and browse the internet using their existing
    handset. Blue Ocean Wireless' offering is based on Altobridge's unique
    patent pending Aeronautical & Maritime Gateway Platform technology.
    This technology can also be applied to Superyachts, other merchant
    vessels and used, in conjunction with RFID technology, to track and
    monitor shipping containers while they are in transit.

    About Claret Capital

    Claret Capital is a private investment firm based in Dublin,
    Ireland and was founded by Domhnal Slattery in 2005. Claret Capital
    manages the assets of a small number of ultra high net worth
    individuals and families and has a global investment mandate. The firm
    has completed investments in the Private Equity, Real Estate, Media
    and Technology sectors. Claret Capital has also founded a number of
    new ventures including JetBird, Europe's first low cost on demand
    private jet airline. JetBird has ordered 100 aircraft from Embraer and
    is the launch customer in Europe for the Phenom 100 very light jet.

    About Inmarsat

    Inmarsat plc (LSE:ISAT) is the leading provider of global mobile
    satellite communications. Since 1979, Inmarsat has been providing
    reliable voice and high-speed data communications to governments,
    enterprises and other organisations, with a range of services that can
    be used on land, at sea or in the air. The company's services are
    delivered through a global network of over 500 partners, including the
    world's leading telecoms groups, operating in 180 countries. For the
    year ended 31 December 2006, Inmarsat plc had total revenue of
    US$500.1 million.

    About Tony Bullimore

    Born in Rochford Essex in 1939, Tony Bullimore is one of the
    world's best known yachtsmen. Tony's sailing career spans more than 4
    decades and 400,000 racing miles, 90,000 of them covering tough
    transatlantic races. He has won the Round Britain Race, The Round
    Europe Race, and has twice scored class honours in transatlantic
    races. He won his class in the Fastnet Race in England and the Rolex
    Middle Sea Race in the Mediterranean, and recently came second in the
    Oryx Quest 2005 non stop round the world race from Doha, the Gulf
    State of Qatar.