SPOT, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Globalstar and an innovator in personal satellite messaging and emergency communications, today unveiled SPOT Assist, a roadside GPS safety service that works with the SPOT Satellite GPS Messenger.

 

With SPOT Assist, users gain the world's only roadside assistance that works solely on reliable satellite technology that doesn’t require a cellular network.

 

At this week’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES (News - Alert)) in Las Vegas, SPOT will be demonstrating its products and new services.

 

Users will be able to benefit from SPOT Assist’s 24/7 roadside assistance in the Continental United States and Canada this spring. By simply activating SPOT Assist with the “Help” button on the SPOT Satellite GPS Messenger, users can instantly alert a national roadside response center of their GPS location.

 

Supported by a premier provider of national roadside assistance, SPOT Assist services include roadside towing, auto-accident assistance, fuel services, tire repair, battery service, lost key and lockout.

 

SPOT Assist is unlike conventional services such as OnStar, which relay positioning through cellular networks. SPOT Assist combines a GPS receiver with satellite communications technologies to provide location-based messaging independent of cellular coverage. The SPOT Satellite GPS Messenger is a compact, rugged and hand-held GPS unit that can access a worldwide satellite network system to keep users connected everywhere they go. The SPOT Assist roadside service is planned to be available for purchase in other countries later this year.

 

“Our customers have been using SPOT primarily off-road and outside of cellular range to check-in with loved ones or to get help in a real emergency resulting in increased safety and security for outdoor enthusiasts,” said Tom Colby, COO of Globalstar (News - Alert) and president of SPOT. “SPOT Assist is an innovative extension of the SPOT product portfolio, and represents one more in a growing list of ways in which SPOT is continuing to deliver services that help to ensure the personal safety and security of our customers around the world at a very modest cost.'”

 

With SPOT Assist roadside service, SPOT customers gain a complete GPS safety system which includes four functions that send messages based on alert levels:

 

-- Help notifies the SPOT Assist roadside response center or others of your GPS location.

-- Check In lets contacts know where you are and that you are okay.

-- Track Progress sends and saves your location and allows contacts to track your progress using Google (News - Alert) Maps.

-- Alert 9-1-1 notifies an emergency rescue coordination center of your GPS location.

 

Launched in December 2007, the SPOT Satellite GPS Messenger has helped initiate close to 100 rescues, many of which resulted in lives saved, and has sent more than 5 million “peace-of-mind'” and “track me” messages worldwide.

 

SPOT Satellite GPS Messenger can be purchased for $169.99. Customers will be able to purchase SPOT Assist for $129.99 per year at http://www.findmespot.com. SPOT Assist will include national roadside assistance and unlimited basic SPOT service including Check-in and 9-1-1 emergency response messaging. SPOT Assist is scheduled to be available in spring 2009.

 

As the world’s first satellite messenger, the SPOT Satellite GPS Messenger uses both the GPS satellite network to determine a customer's location and the SPOT network to transmit that information to friends, family or an emergency service center.

 

As a subsidiary of Globalstar, SPOT provides lifesaving communications technology that allows users to communicate from remote locations around the globe. Thanks to this affordable, innovative personal safety device, the company offers people peace of mind by allowing customers to notify friends and family of their location and status, and to send for emergency assistance in time of need, completely independent of cellular phone or wireless coverage.