Iridium Communications Inc. (NASDAQ:IRDM) announced today its new suite of aviation products and services, featuring Iridium Certus technology. This next-generation suite features a broad portfolio of products from four leading avionics manufacturers, which will deliver global broadband connectivity for cockpit and passenger communications.
Scheduled to launch commercial service in 2017, Iridium Certus is the Company’s next-generation multi-service communications platform enabled by its new Iridium NEXT satellite constellation. Iridium Certus will deliver higher throughputs, enterprise-grade reliability and global overage at an unprecedented value. After completion of the Iridium NEXT constellation, Iridium Certus will deliver speeds eventually reaching 1.4 Mbps through some of the smallest and most cost-effective antennas in the industry.
Iridium® is installed on more than 30,000 business aviation and rotorcraft today. Iridium Certus will offer a turnkey upgrade path delivering greater performance, utility and value for cockpit and cabin communications through a best-in-class platform designed to support connectivity needs for the next decade.
“Our partners have created a remarkable line of aviation products featuring Iridium Certus technology, and we look forward to giving the industry access to a line of competitive options like never before,” said Brian Pemberton, vice president of strategy and aviation line of business at Iridium. “We believe it’s now safe to say that everyone in the business and general aviation community will soon have a viable option, with no prerequisites or strings attached, to fulfill their connectivity needs especially where they may not have thought it possible before.”
The Iridium Certus service portfolio will feature a range of data speeds utilizing either high gain antennas (HGA) at 352 Kbps, 704 Kbps or 1.4 Mbps, or low gain antennas (LGA) for speeds of 88 Kbps or 176 Kbps. These solutions may serve as stand-alone connectivity options or be integrated with Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) solutions offering redundancy and expanded coverage. Further, the HGA speeds will serve as an ideal business aviation cabin connectivity solution for most users.
“The business aviation community is challenged to find cost-effective connectivity. Iridium Certus will provide a suite of scalable solutions that meets their diverse needs,” continued Pemberton. “Whether for business jets, rotorcraft, fractional and charter operators or general aviation, aircraft operators can choose what makes the most sense for them in the most competitive manner possible.”
Iridium NEXT, the company’s next-generation, global satellite constellation, will replace its existing network of low-earth orbit satellites in what will be one of the largest “tech upgrades” in history. Iridium and SpaceX are partnered for a series of seven launches, deploying ten Iridium NEXT satellites at a time. Iridium NEXT satellite deployment is scheduled to be completed in 2018. For more information about Iridium NEXT, please visit www.iridium.com.
About Iridium Communications Inc.
Iridium is the only mobile voice and data satellite communications network that spans the entire globe. Iridium enables connections between people, organizations and assets to and from anywhere, in real time. Together with its ecosystem of partner companies, Iridium delivers an innovative and rich portfolio of reliable solutions for markets that require truly global communications. The company has a major development program underway for its next-generation network — Iridium NEXT. Iridium Communications Inc. is headquartered in McLean, Va., U.S.A., and its common stock trades on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the ticker symbol IRDM. For more information about Iridium products, services and partner solutions, visit www.iridium.com.
