Globalstar to set up European headquarters in Dublin

THE US company Globalstar, which makes satellite phones, is to establish its European headquarters in Dublin.

The firm, whose handsets are the most widely used satellite phones in the world, said that it was establishing a dedicated sales and support operation in Dublin to service the European markets and parts of North Africa.

The centre will be the company’s first base outside of America and is part of a global expansion plan. It said that the increased use of satellite phones, because mobile phones across the world do not operate on a single network standard, will continue in the coming years.

Globalstar said that currently, the phones are mainly used by large multinational businesses, security organisations and media groups, but it was looking to expand its customer base.

“Satellite telephony is no longer an exotic luxury but rather a practical tool for any business organisation that operates in areas where wireless services are patchy or unavailable,” the company’s sales director Peter Bacon said.

“Our new European headquarters has been established to meet this growing demand and to deliver sales and service support tailored to the needs of European customers,” he added.

The number of jobs created by the company is likely to be in the dozens rather than the hundreds.

The past week has seen nearly 1,500 jobs created around the company with the bulk of these at the internet auctioneering firm Ebay, with other announcements at ABB in Drogheda and Pepsi in Cork.

Last week saw the loss of 1,000 jobs in Dublin and Kildare with the closure of 3Com and Schneider Electrics.

According to Globalstar’s website, the company had losses of over $16 million in the three months to the end of June and revenues of $13.9 million.