According to AMCI VP of Engineering and Chief Technology Officer Bruce R. Bacon, "the General Motors Truck Group (GMTG) will utilize these 50 systems for the first deployment in their fleet of test vehicles.

"With one of these systems installed in the vehicle, from the desktop and using only a web browser, GMTG's staff can see where the vehicle is located on a map, view engine start and stop events, and communicate directly with the vehicle's onboard data network.

"The ability to have affordable worldwide wireless communication with the electronic modules in the vehicle is revolutionary. Near real-time access to vehicle diagnostic and operating data opens up all kinds of pre- and post-production opportunities," Bacon said.

Additionally, Bacon noted that GMTG encompasses GM's lines of sport utility vehicles (SUVs) such as the Jimmy, Blazer, Suburban, Yukon, and Tahoe, small pickups, the Silverado and Sierra light trucks, the van and utility vehicle lines, and medium-duty commercial trucks.

"It has been extremely gratifying to work with engineers from GM, ORBCOMM, and Dolphin Software in order to take this AMCI-ORBCOMM remote tracking and communication solution to the next level with the world's largest automobile manufacturer.

"AMCI had originally provided two SCs to GM for testing proof of concept, which was in turn followed by the purchase of 12 units by GM for further testing and software development in a pilot program," Bacon stated.

"This volume purchase validates our opinion that low-cost satellite-based solutions are the future of tracking, monitoring, and communication with widely mobile assets. Unlike terrestrial wireless data networks, which rely on a patchwork system of towers optimized primarily to cover population centers, the ORBCOMM satellites pass over the entire globe providing ubiquitous nationwide and worldwide geographic coverage," he continued.

Andrew F. Cauthen, CEO and President of AMCI, commented, "We are very enthusiastic about the sale of these SCs and other hardware to GM and the following revenue from the monthly sale of airtime that goes with each unit.

"This is where our recurring monthly revenue is generated and we look forward to a continuing enrollment of subscribers for AMCI's services. We believe that there exists a huge market for low-cost monthly monitoring with the kind of mass-market appeal that brings the service within economic reach of nearly everyone in almost any situation.

"To say the least, this order by GM is a stellar event for all of us at AMCI. It is the positive result of a lot of hard work by our engineers and staff to achieve these creative and innovative solutions," Cauthen said.

AMCI has previously made announcements regarding deployment of its satellite-based remote monitoring services in the petroleum industry. SCs have been installed on oil and natural gas production and distribution equipment.

Data such as flow rates, pressures, temperatures, and shutdown alarms collected at those sites are sent via the ORBCOMM system to our call center when immediate action is required. The data is also sent to web servers for later review and analysis by the equipment operators and owners.

"After much field testing and continued demonstration of AMCI's capabilities, it is our experience that the oil and gas industry is finally recognizing the significant savings by collecting data and alarms remotely for a few dollars a day compared to daily on-site visits.

"The benefit of nearly immediate notification of a shutdown or systems failure is highly valuable, since in certain cases, days can go by before the malfunction is discovered by a physical visit," Bacon observed.

AMCI is a licensed value-added reseller for ORBCOMM USA, L.P. that provides two-way monitoring, tracking, and messaging service through the world's first commercial low-Earth orbit satellite based data communications system.

Orbital's Intelligent Transportation Systems

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