Globalstar announced the commercial introduction of fax service over its network, allowing users to send and receive fax documents wherever they use their Globalstar phone around the world. The new StarFax service provides Globalstar users with complete fax capability via a small interface device that works with virtually any standard Group 3 fax machine. The interface device communicates via the Globalstar satellite network with a central server that receives fax images and forwards them on to their final destination. As a result, users can send and receive faxes via their fax machine as if it were connected to a regular phone line, with all satellite and interface links handled automatically in the background. In receive mode, the system uses a store-and-forward system, with fax images held on a central server until they are successfully delivered. If no Globalstar connection is active to receive the image when first sent, the central server attempts to resend the fax at regular intervals. In send mode, StarFax service will initially allow delivery to any phone number in the U.S. or Canada, with full worldwide sending capability expected to be offered in the future. Users pay only for the cost of the phone call, with no additional per-page charge. Users can choose from two interface devices to access the service: Globalstar StarFax 100: Provides full send/receive fax capability via the Globalstar satellite network. The size of a paperback book, the StarFax 100 works with virtually any fax machine, connecting directly with the Globalstar Qualcomm fixed and mobile units. Globalstar StarPort 700: Same features as the StarFax 100, plus Ethernet and wireless LAN capabilities, as well as a serial port that allows data calls (for example, from a PC or PDA) to be connected to the Globalstar network directly through the interface device. Additional extra services and capabilities will be developed and made available to StarPort 700 users in the future. StarPort 700s can also communicate directly to other StarPort 700 units, bypassing the central server entirely, allowing users to set up, in effect, their own private network. Globalstar offers satellite telecommunications services, for both voice and data, from virtually anywhere in over 120 countries around the world.