Iridium Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: IRDM) has announced Thales as the newest Iridium Certus aviation service provider.

While already developing the Iridium Certus-based FlytLINK terminal and antenna, Thales will now be able to offer both Iridium Certus terminals and Iridium Certus connectivity services to business jets, commercial aircraft, rotorcraft, general aviation and UAVs.  Iridium Certus is the only L-band broadband platform providing truly global connectivity and upon aviation terminal availability, will provide a state-of-the-art solution for two-way flight deck and business cabin communications.

Thales plans to be first to market with an Iridium Certus aviation product and has a unique place in the Iridium Certus partner ecosystem as the only company manufacturing land, maritime and aviation terminals. This includes a hybrid FlytLINK solution that combines Iridium Certus capabilities with Iridium’s traditional narrowband services, including safety services, which will be available with its initial release.

With low latency and superior performance capabilities compared to alternatives, Iridium Certus will be the ideal solution for the Aeronautical Telecommunications Network (ATN) Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) capability deployed in Europe for domestic en-route communications. Looking ahead, Iridium has also been working closely with major international aviation organizations and ANSPs on the development of the ATN Internet Protocol Suite (IPS), which will offer a more efficient and capable alternative to existing options for aircraft transitioning from Oceanic to Domestic satellite communications.

Michael Hooper, Director and GM of aviation, Iridium, said that as the aviation industry continues to adopt SATCOM as a primary means of long-range communications, reliable and cost-effective systems with truly global coverage are becoming an increasing necessity. The Iridium Certus platform will provide the only solutions that meet the coverage, cost and capability requirements for this new generation of aircraft communications — the company is excited to further expand this close partnership with Thales to bring these capabilities to market.

Craig Olson, VP of connectivity solutions, Thales InFlyt Experience, added that the company is excited about this aero solution on Iridium Certus and intend to be first to market. Thales FlytLINK will empower customers to achieve their big ambitions — this marks another big step toward a long-lasting relationship with Iridium and bringing connectivity to users worldwide.