Canadian-based telecommunications business Stratos Global has purchased the operational assets of Blue Ocean Wireless.

Canadian-based telecommunications business Stratos Global has purchased the operational assets of Blue Ocean Wireless.

The acquired British business produces global system for mobile communication (GSM) services that allow ship crew members to use personal GSM phones to communicate while at sea.

According to a statement Stratos will continue to market and sell Blue Ocean Wireless services to existing and new customers under the new brand GSM Oceanwide.

‘Today, more than ever, savvy ship managers understand that offering a wide range of communications options is critical to attracting and retaining qualified crewmembers,’ says president and chief executive officer of Stratos, Jim Parm.

Parm adds that the buy improves Stratos’s ability to offer affordable GSM services to its customer base. Financial details of the purchase were undisclosed.

US-headquartered Stratos was acquired by British satellite telecommunications company Inmarsat in 2009 but has continued to trade as a separate entity.

Under the terms of the deal Stratos is to assume responsibility for providing services to most of the Hampshire-based business’s customers. Stratos reports that since 1 July it has been issuing invoices to Blue Ocean Wireless customers.