Iridium Communications Inc. - Experts & Thought Leaders

Multi-party collaboration addresses serious threat to safety of navigation and visibility of high-value assets in degraded and compromised Global Positioning System (GPS) and Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) environments. Threats to GPS and GNSS signals, such as spoofing, jamming and other interference are reaching unprecedented levels worldwide. Security risks for crews In some regions, maritime authorities have reported a 350% increase in affected vessels over the past six months, according to P&I club NorthStandard. These disruptions are having serious consequences, including collisions, delays, financial impacts on global trade and heightened security risks for crews at sea. Iridium backbone Tschudi Shipping Company has joined forces with US-based APNT specialist - NAL Research To address the urgent need for reliable asset tracking and assured navigation in high-risk GPS/GNSS-compromised environments, Tschudi Shipping Company has joined forces with US-based Assured Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (APNT) specialist - NAL Research and shipping/fisheries technology provider - SGM Technology AS to deliver a resilient navigation and tracking solution enabled by Iridium’s low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite network ensuring global coverage. Trials of the state-of-the-art tool, which immediately detects if a vessel is being spoofed, are currently in progress with a selection of top-tier shipowners. Delivering global situational awareness "Protection against GPS vulnerabilities is no longer a nice-to-have, but a necessity to ensure operational success and asset safety," said NAL Research President, Robert Bills.  He adds, "Through this collaborative effort, we are aiming to achieve complete global situational awareness and increase safety at sea for our commercial maritime customers, even in the most remote and challenging situations." Integrity of maritime operations "In today’s maritime landscape, the threat of GPS jamming and spoofing is no longer theoretical – it’s a growing reality. Ensuring navigational safety is critical, not just for protecting cargo and vessels, but for safeguarding the lives of seafarers who rely on precise and trustworthy systems every day," said Steffen Grefsgård, CEO of SGM Technology. He adds, "At SGM Technology, we are committed to developing robust solutions that help mitigate these risks and maintain the integrity of maritime operations." Time for collective action Tschudi Group Chairman, Felix Tschudi, stated, "As a fifth-generation shipping company, we’ve witnessed the evolution of maritime navigation, but never before have we faced technological threats like GPS jamming and spoofing." He adds, "These disruptions pose a serious risk to vessel safety, crew welfare, and the reliability of global trade routes. The industry must act collectively to address these vulnerabilities to protect maritime personnel and assets." Iridium PNT-enabled technologies "We’re proud to support our valued partners to enable this vital service in the critically important maritime markets," said Iridium Vice President of PNT, Rohit Braggs. He adds, "Iridium PNT-enabled technologies are available today and provide trusted location services for high-value assets — and more importantly, help to keep mariners safe." Unique combined experience Under the partnership, the companies are leveraging NAL Research’s 25+ years of expertise in APNT, tracking and connectivity to develop solutions built on the Iridium® PNT service, a powerful and fully authenticated L-band signal resilient to spoofing and jamming. The partnership will also benefit from SGM’s 15+ years of experience delivering technology to the commercial maritime sector and Tschudi’s global presence and 140+ years in commercial shipping and logistics.

Intellian’s eagerly-awaited C700 Iridium Certus® maritime terminal has now been launched and is expected to quickly secure a reputation as the most powerful and technically advanced Iridium Certus® terminal on the market. With its best-in-class RF performance, the C700 can deliver out-of-the-box uplink speeds of 352kbps and downlink speeds of 704kbps by default, with equally impressive low-elevation-angle RF efficiency thanks to its unique 12-patch phased array antenna technology. It will support three high-quality, low-latency phone lines simultaneously, and as a solid-state antenna with no moving parts inside, the C700 is especially robust, requiring no scheduled maintenance over its lifetime. Advanced performance The Below Deck Unit (BDU) incorporates key features which make it ready to deploy without additional cost The advanced performance of the C700 provides customers across all markets with the flexibility to deploy it as the primary communication antenna or as a companion to a VSAT system for seamless redundancy. For primary communications, the Below Deck Unit (BDU) incorporates key features which make it ready to deploy without additional cost, including firewall, IP PBX, WAN port and built-in Wi-Fi. Hardware and software functions such as these, incorporated into the system, make the C700 the most powerful, feature-rich L-band solution on the market, delivering best in class performance and functionality.         Rapid and low-cost installation The innate stability and reliable connectivity afforded by the C700 also make it an ideal platform for future safety services, including the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS). The C700 delivers installation efficiency both through the product design and the commissioning process. The BDU, weighing approximately 1.2kg, is available as a standalone bulkhead mount system or a 19” all-in-one rack-mount version. With its small, lightweight and space-saving form factor, the C700 can be carried on board by just one technician or crew member for rapid and low-cost installation. Once the C700 is installed, the built-in, user-friendly AptusLX software enhances the commissioning and setup experience of customers and partners. Iridium VP on the partnership Wouter Deknopper, Vice President and General Manager of Maritime, Iridium, observes: “Many vessel owners and operators may decide against VSAT for budgetary reasons, lack of deck space or the absence of adequate coverage on their voyage routes, so Iridium Certus is ideal as a primary means of communication, supported by the ease of upgrading to the C700 from an existing system.” “Iridium Certus also excels as a VSAT companion, combining the benefits of LEO with GEO, and L-band with Ku-band. VSAT can suffer from certain degradations and also isn’t global. That’s where you need a strong hybrid system, and Intellian, of course, is a highly respected manufacturer of maritime VSAT antennas and the new C700.” “So it is in a strong position to offer a very competitive turnkey hybrid package on the market. The flexibility of the airtime packages Iridium and our partners offer for Intellian customers is also an essential consideration in such uncertain times for the shipping industry and beyond.” Benefits of L-band L-band is particularly resistant to rain fade and other forms of atmospheric interference L-band is particularly resistant to rain fade and other forms of atmospheric interference, and the C700’s 12-element antenna arrangement is designed to supply rapid and efficient tracking performance, leading to optimal high-speed data and voice connections. Troels Christensen, Product Manager, EMEA, Intellian, explains: “The signal stability is exceptional even on fast boats or smaller vessels in rough seas, where you may experience heavy pitch and roll.” An attractive proposition for crew communications with its multiple high-quality voice lines, the C700 is also protected with Intellian’s international support and service network infrastructure, and comes with a three-year warranty for parts and labor. Time and cost efficient “The fact that it can be retrofitted by reusing a vessel’s old mast mount, cables, and power supply saves additional time and money,” adds Troels Christensen. “There’s no need for extra boxes, there are no hidden costs, and Iridium Certus provides truly global coverage, even at the poles, so the C700 is an L-band innovation that pays ample dividends not just for smaller vessels, but right across the board.” Words from Intellian CEO Eric Sung, CEO, Intellian Technologies, concludes: “We’re delighted to partner with Iridium and believe our C700 is a great addition to our innovative maritime product portfolio. “The new C700 antenna is a great choice for multiple customer segments, delivering an affordable solution which leads the market in speed and functionality.”

Iridium Communications Inc., a provider of global voice and data satellite communications launched the Iridium Certus™9704, its newest  IoT module, and Iridium Certus 9704 Development Kit. This transformational new module, featuring Iridium Messaging Transport® (IMT®) technology, is the smallest and most powerful created by Iridium, ideal for supporting satellite IoT applications that require real-time data analysis, analytics, and automated decision-making. Iridium Certus 9704 The Iridium Certus 9704 provides larger file transfer sizes and faster message speeds than previous Iridium® IoT modules, delivering data, picture, and audio messages for industrial (IIoT), machine-to-machine (M2M), and remote personnel use cases. Like other Iridium Connected® devices, the Iridium Certus 9704 can provide two-way IoT services anywhere in the world, making fast and reliable connections to a broad array of applications. Data transfer requirements The module's larger-sized data messages are also ideal for remote sensing applications protecting wildlife The Iridium Certus 9704 architecture simplifies data transfer requirements for use cases like predictive maintenance, diagnostics, telemetry monitoring, remote asset tracking, and command and control for uncrewed aircraft, vehicles, and vessels. The module's larger-sized data messages are also ideal for remote sensing applications protecting wildlife, detecting wildfires and flooding, and enabling a new generation of purpose-built satellite messengers and personal safety devices. Smallest module ever "We've now packed more capability and value into the smallest module ever from Iridium," said Matt Desch, CEO, of Iridium. "When companies choose to develop with Iridium, they know they are partnering with the pioneer in satellite IoT applications, and we'll support them through the development and deployment of their solutions. We're excited to see how they implement this new technology." Ease of integration Designed for ease of integration, the Iridium Certus 9704 is 34% smaller than the Iridium 9603, 79% smaller than the Iridium 9602, and has an 83% reduction in idle power consumption compared to both. This power optimisation makes the new module ideal for supporting battery-powered applications while taking advantage of two-way messaging, including delivery confirmation, over Iridium's low-latency, truly global satellite network. Satellite IoT applications The new module can help organisations become more future-ready as AI becomes integrated with IoT Ideal for supporting traditional satellite IoT applications, the new module can also help organisations become more future-ready as Artificial Intelligence (AI) becomes integrated with IoT services, known as AIoT (Artificial Intelligence of Things). With this integration, satellite AIoT services should quickly follow, and companies that deploy products with Iridium Certus 9704 modules inside can then choose to offload more computing to the cloud in a single message, where an AIoT engine can quickly make decisions and send new, actionable instructions back to the remote device. Real-time data, audio, or image This can lessen the required edge device processing power, lower hardware cost, and increase battery life and overall device lifespan. With IMT at its core, a built-in topic-sorting capability means messages can be efficiently organised for delivery to the appropriate engine for various types of real-time data, audio, or image analysis.   Development Kit "The Iridium Certus 9704 module and Development Kit were designed with the developer in mind," said Omar Azad, associate director, of product management, at Iridium. "We want to make it as easy as possible for anyone to experience the new module's capabilities and the quality of the IMT service. When they're ready to take the next step and build a product to take to market, we're there to support them with our decades of experience in the satellite IoT space." Test kit features The kit is initially available to prospective Iridium customers for evaluation of Iridium Certus 9704 The Iridium Certus 9704 Development Kit is a complete test kit featuring a motherboard, power supply, antenna, module, and software from the popular Arduino platform. It was designed to provide maximum autonomy and flexibility for developers, coming with 1,000 free messages and GitLab-hosted reference materials. The kit is initially available to prospective Iridium customers for evaluation of the Iridium Certus 9704 module and IMT data service. Iridium has partnered with Blynk to give developers an all-in-one platform for data visualisation and a rapid unboxing-to-live-testing experience. Weather-resilient satellite constellation Iridium operates the world's only truly global, weather-resilient satellite constellation designed to reliably deliver critical data to and from anywhere on the planet. As the satellite IoT market pioneer, Iridium's IoT service revenue has been growing at an 11% CAGR over the last 10 years. Iridium goes to market through more than 500 companies around the world that integrate its core technology modules, like the Iridium Certus 9704, and sell airtime access to its network. The Iridium Certus 9704 has received FCC and ISED authorisations for use, with additional regulatory approvals pending.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is having a profound and multifaceted impact throughout the business world, driving a transformation across all sectors by significantly increasing efficiency, enabling data-driven decision-making, and fostering innovation. Maritime is one of the many industries that are already benefiting from deploying AI. In the future, the potential is even bigger. In maritime as in many other markets, the key to success is balancing the use of AI with human labour. The current trend is to augment human work through automation of routine tasks and the creation of new business models. We asked our Expert Panel Roundtable: How can the maritime industry benefit from applying artificial intelligence (AI)? Please provide some examples.

Achieving optimal return on investment (ROI) for a maritime company involves a strategic combination of operational efficiency, revenue enhancement, cost control, careful financial management, attention to sustainability and regulatory compliance, and other factors. Given all the variables in play, profitability can be elusive, but our Expert Panel Roundtable has some ideas. We asked: How can maritime companies maximise return on investment (ROI)?