Inmarsat has appointed AST and NSSL launch distribution partners for its global satellite phone services (GSPS), set to go live at the end of the second quarter of 2010, AST and NSSL announced Nov. 3.
    The companies will distribute the IsatPhone Pro, a global handheld service and the first new product in the GSPS portfolio. Other models and services are planned to follow shortly after.
    Both AST and NSSL have been Inmarsat Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN) and FleetBroadband service distributors for over five years to  government, media, emergency first responders and the oil and gas markets.