Japanese mobile operator NTT DoCoMo has taken an 11.5% stake in Blue Ocean Wireless (BOW) in a move that values the company at over $87 million (50 million). 
BOW delivers GSM communication capability for the merchant maritime sector, enabling seafarers in deep ocean water, where no other network exists, to make and receive voice calls, send and receive SMS text messages and, in time, browse the internet using their existing handsets.
BOW uses the mobile satellite company Inmarsats satellite network to use their regular mobile handset while at sea, by replacing their usual SIM with a BOW SIM. When the ship nears a terrestrial GSM network, the Blue Ocean network automatically cuts out, enabling mariners to revert back to their land-based SIM.
The investment in BOW was arranged and completed by Claret Capital, the private equity firm that founded BOW in March 2007. Since then, Claret has spearheaded a series of fundraisings in the company.  Other shareholders include Smart Communications, Claret Capital, Altobridge, and Bank of Scotland (Ireland).
The acquisition of an 11.5% shareholding in Blue Ocean Wireless represents a compelling opportunity for us to invest in a business that immediately serves a vast, international market that is surprisingly undersubscribed, says Toshinari Kunieda, Senior Vice President, Managing Director of NTT DoCoMos Global Business Division. This investment demonstrates our belief that BOW is uniquely positioned to serve a rapidly growing market sector.