GLOBALSTAR FINANCIAL RESTRUCTURING COMPLETED
- Global satellite phone service exits bankruptcy process;
- Financial security assured going forward, free of debt and targeting 70% annual growth;
- New investments and long-term development programs also announced.
San Jose, CA , April 14, 2004 -
Globalstar, the world's most
widely-used handheld satellite phone service, today announced the completion of its financial restructuring
following the formal acquisition of its main business operations and assets by
Thermo Capital Partners LLC.
In concluding this process, the new owners of Globalstar also announced a number of additional corporate
initiatives and commitments, intended not only to ensure Globalstar's long-term financial stability but also to
foster far greater growth and expansion for the company than ever before.
As expected following its preliminary acquisition agreement in December 2003, Thermo now owns 81.25% of a
newly-formed Globalstar company in exchange for an investment of $43 million, with the remainder of the
equity to be distributed to the creditors of the original Globalstar company - Globalstar, L.P. (GLP). With this
acquisition, Globalstar's main business has now effectively exited from the bankruptcy process.
"Today is unquestionably a major turning point for Globalstar," said Jim Lynch, managing director of Thermo.
"Despite its slow start, Globalstar - now in its fifth year of uninterrupted service - is by far the best positioned,
with the best technology, to take advantage of the opportunities in the mobile satellite market, by increasing
our attention on Globalstar's customers and their communication needs."
Thermo today also announced several new business initiatives and strategies, aimed at ramping up the
company's growth in the months and years ahead. These include:
- Spare satellite launch plans: Planning has now begun to prepare the eight spare satellites that
Globalstar is currently holding in ground storage for launch into orbit, possibly in late 2005 or early 2006.
- Enhanced Caribbean Service: As previewed in a preliminary announcement in February, a final
site review is now underway for a new Globalstar gateway in Florida, and the company hopes to enter into
a formal lease agreement for the site in the weeks ahead, with the gateway - valued at several million dollars -
to be constructed during 2004. This follows the company's earlier decision to add a fourth antenna at the
company's gateway at Las Palmas, Puerto Rico, with installation to be completed later this month. Together
these two programs will provide higher quality coverage and greater system capacity across the Caribbean
where Globalstar service has been exceptionally popular.
- Introduction of New Products and Services: Globalstar will resume or accelerate several product
development programs that had been slowed down or suspended during the company's restructuring.
Globalstar expects the first new product - fax capability - to be introduced commercially later this month.
- Expansion of Data Offerings: Building on Globalstar's existing portfolio of data services and
technology, the company has now begun offering data services tailored for specific industries, such as
maritime, homeland security, oil and gas extraction and transport, and more. At the same time, new data
services are also under development, with a new data compression service scheduled for commercial launch
in the weeks ahead.
- Alaskan Gateway Planning: Thermo has approved work to proceed on site selection for a new
Globalstar gateway in Alaska, intended to serve virtually the entire state of Alaska as well as offshore
regions in the North Pacific and Bering Strait where commercial cargo and fishing vessels have shown strong
interest in the company's service.
Underlying these initiatives is a new business plan that Globalstar and Thermo have been developing over the
past several months, centering on re-aligning the company's resources to bring greater emphasis on
addressing customer needs, particularly in the company's key markets such as oil and gas, maritime, defense,
and transportation. Furthermore, Globalstar has already recruited new professional staff who will bring new
expertise and skills to the company's sales and marketing departments and will be hiring additional
professionals to further augment its sales efforts.
Thermo Capital Partners LLC is a private investment group with over 20 years of experience in managing and
developing businesses in the fields of telecommunications, energy, real estate and more. The company is
distinguished from most private investment firms in that it has consistently invested in businesses for the
long-term and has taken an active role in the organization and management of each business, aiming at
maximizing growth and return-on-investment. Thermo expects Globalstar to record at least 70%
year-over-year growth in 2004 and to be operationally profitable by the fourth quarter of this year.
"Thermo has a solid record of identifying high-potential businesses and helping them through financial
restructurings, turning one business after another into successful, growing enterprises," said Tony Navarra,
president of Globalstar. "We are extremely happy to be working with Thermo, and we are already benefiting
from their expertise and experience."
Details of the Acquisition Agreement: In December 2003, Thermo entered into a preliminary agreement to
acquire Globalstar, subject to a number of conditions, including regulatory approval and the successful
completion of several settlement and technical agreements. Regulatory approval was granted in early March,
and the U.S. Bankruptcy Court approved the last of the required agreements on March 31, allowing Thermo to
formally conclude the acquisition announced today.
The acquisition process centered around the establishment of a new Globalstar company which subsequently
assumed ownership of essentially all of the assets and business operations formerly owned by GLP.
Employees of GLP and its worldwide subsidiaries have also been transferred to the new company. As
a result, GLP no longer has any significant operations and is expected to be wound up in the weeks
ahead.
Globalstar service will continue to be marketed and sold under the Globalstar name, and the company's
service provider partners around the world will continue to support customers as usual, with newer
products and services expected to be introduced in the future.
Globalstar offers satellite telecommunications services, for both voice and data, from virtually
anywhere in over 120 countries around the world. For more information, visit Globalstar's web
site at www.globalstar.com,
or Thermo Capital Partners' website at
www.thermocompanies.com