Goodyear Selects Gilat's Spacenet Subsidiary to Provide VSAT Satellite Communications Network to 1,000 Tire Outlets in the U.S. and Canada

Business Wire,  Dec 5, 2000  

• E-mail
• Print
• Link

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

PETAH TIKVA, Israel--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 5, 2000

Goodyear will use high-performance Skystar Advantage(R) platform

for IP-based multicasting, video and POS applications

Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd. (NASDAQ: GILTF) today announced its Spacenet Inc. subsidiary has been selected by The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company to provide a high-speed satellite communications network to a minimum of 1,000 Goodyear tire outlets in the United States and Canada. Goodyear expects the network to eventually include over 2,000 tire outlets, as well as other company sites.

Stephen Murphy, Goodyear's Manager, Corporate Telecommunications, said, "The embedded suite of Internet Protocol (IP) and bandwidth-management features of Gilat's Skystar Advantage Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) network make it an attractive networking platform. After exhaustive review of our options, we determined VSAT technology offered us the solution for providing single-source, ubiquitous, high-bandwidth, online connectivity. Our testing showed that the Skystar Advantage network offered the performance, security, and support required for our IP and web-based applications."

David R. Shiff, Spacenet's Vice President of Sales and Marketing, said, "The Goodyear team conducted a very thorough investigation and analysis of the various alternatives, and Spacenet is extremely pleased and proud to have been selected by Goodyear to provide this network. We have invested tremendous energy toward establishing a leadership position in support of emerging IP and web-based applications and we believe Goodyear's selection of Spacenet is directly attributable to our efforts in this area."

Under the terms of the agreement, Spacenet will provide Goodyear with a comprehensive VSAT network solution that includes turnkey installation of all remote site equipment, as well as network operations and field maintenance. Network implementation will begin within the next six months and is expected to be completed in late 2001.

About Goodyear

Goodyear (NYSE: GT), based in Akron, Ohio, manufactures tires, engineered rubber products and chemicals in more than 90 facilities in 27 countries. It has marketing operations in almost every country around the world. Goodyear, with the addition of its Dunlop tire joint ventures, employs more than 105,000 persons worldwide.

About Spacenet

With headquarters in McLean, Virginia, Spacenet Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd. of Petah Tikva, Israel. Spacenet provides a wide range of satellite communications networks and services throughout North America, including access to satellite transponder capacity, installation of network equipment, network monitoring and control, as well as maintenance and repair. Visit Spacenet at www.spacenet.com.

About Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd.

Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd., with its global subsidiaries Spacenet Inc., Gilat Europe and Gilat Florida Inc., is a leading provider of telecommunications solutions based on VSAT satellite network technology. The Company provides satellite-based, end-to-end enterprise networking and rural telephony solutions to customers across six continents, and markets interactive broadband data services. The Company is a joint venture partner, with Microsoft Corp., EchoStar Communications Corp. and ING Furman Selz Investments, in StarBand Communications Inc., America's first consumer, always-on, nationwide, two-way, high-speed satellite Internet service provider. StarBand is based in McLean, Va. SkyBlaster(TM), Skystar Advantage(R), DialAw@y IP(TM) and FaraWay(TM) are trademarks or registered trademarks of Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd. or its subsidiaries. Visit Gilat at www.gilat.com and StarBand at www.starband.com.

Certain statements made herein that are not historical are forward-looking within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The words "estimate", "project", "intend", "expect", "believe" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Gilat to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements that may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including, among others, changes in general economic and business conditions, inability to maintain market acceptance to Gilat's products, inability to timely develop and introduce new technologies, products and applications, rapid changes in the market for Gilat's products, loss of market share and pressure on prices resulting from competition, introduction of competing products by other companies, inability to manage growth and expansion, loss of key OEM partners, inability to attract and retain qualified personnel, inability to protect the Company's proprietary technology and risks associated with Gilat's international operations and its location in Israel For additional information regarding these and other risks and uncertainties associated with Gilat's business, reference is made to Gilat's reports filed from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

COPYRIGHT 2000 Business Wire
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning