Iridium Communications Inc. (NASDAQ:IRDM) has announced the first Iridium Certus service providers for land-mobile applications, planned for commercial availability in mid-2018.
This initial group of six world-class land-mobile service providers play a pivotal role in bringing Iridium Certus to market. Enabled by the Iridium® NEXT satellite constellation, Iridium Certus will deliver reliable, global broadband connectivity and high-quality voice service to the land-mobile industry. The initial Iridium Certus service providers for land mobile applications include:
- Applied Satellite Technology Limited (AST) – www.theastgroup.com
- Arion Communication Co. Ltd – www.arionit.com
- Kaigai Communication Corporation – www.kaigaibussan.jp
- MVS USA Inc. – www.themvsgroup.com
- Network Innovations US Inc. – www.networkinv.com
- Spacenet – www.spacenet.com.mx
According to the company, Iridium Certus will extend the reach of terrestrial and cellular infrastructure with truly mobile communications capabilities, making the offering ideal for supporting critical connectivity needs regardless of location, terrain and weather events. The service will feature a range of data speed options and will integrate with the Thales MissionLINK™ terminal, providing a reliable connection for voice, satellite internet, cellular data, Land Mobile Radio (LMR) and location-based applications. With Iridium Certus, customers will be able to control costs by eliminating the need to deploy expensive ground-based infrastructure or large, expensive directional terminals that rely upon geostationary satellites.
Additional land-mobile service providers are planned to be announced in the coming months. Iridium NEXT is the Company's next-generation satellite constellation which will replace its existing network. To date, there have been four successful Iridium NEXT launches, deploying more than half of the new constellation. Four additional launches are planned for the first half of 2018.
Josh Miner, the Executive Director of the land-mobile line of business at Iridium, stated that Iridium Certus is going to change the way connectivity for enterprise, government, and militaries on the move is thought about — regardless of location, customers will have access to reliable satellite connectivity to run more efficient operations while deployed in the field. This flexible solution, when combined with the Thales MissionLINK satellite terminal, allows customers to automatically transition between satellite and cellular infrastructure when paired with an LTE terminal. Customers can configure their Thales satellite terminals to automatically switch to Iridium Certus satellite service when required, ensuring that the most cost-effective solution is deployed, while maintaining continuity.
