Reliability Above All®
Iridium’s unique crosslinked mesh architecture offers a comprehensive web of coverage across the globe, covering every inch of the planet from its low-Earth orbit satellites. This network provides unparalleled low-latency, weather-resistant services that set it apart from any other satellite provider. No other network offers the same level of reach, coverage, and reliability as Iridium.
From satellite phones to broadband services, Iridium’s communication solutions are trusted by over 1.5 million users worldwide, including mariners, pilots, humanitarians, first responders, and government organizations. Its robust network and dependable services make it a preferred choice for critical communication needs in even the most remote locations on Earth.
“In a world where global communications are increasingly essential, only one company connects everyone to the things that matter most, from pole to pole.
Iridium keeps people – and things – connected on the land, in the air, or at sea.”
Short Burst Data Devices
Iridium Certus 100 Devices
Iridium Certus 200 Devices
Iridium Certus 700 Devices
More About Iridium
Iridium’s LEO (Low Earth Orbit) network operates at a distance of only 780 kilometers from the Earth, providing several advantages over traditional GEO (Geostationary Earth Orbit) satellites. The close proximity of Iridium’s network enables pole-to-pole coverage, shorter transmission paths, stronger signals, lower latency, and shorter registration times.
Furthermore, each Iridium satellite is crosslinked with up to four others, forming a dynamic mesh network that routes traffic among satellites to ensure seamless global coverage even in areas where traditional networks are unavailable.
Iridium’s ground infrastructure is made up of the Satellite Network Operating Center (SNOC), Ground Stations, and Technical Support Center, all interconnected through advanced fiber-optic and broadband satellite links. Together, they provide terrestrial connections for mobile satellite voice and data, network command, control, and monitoring, and technical support.
In early 2019, Iridium completed a multi-year constellation upgrade, which involved replacing all of its first-generation satellites and upgrading the supporting ground infrastructure. This new network has resulted in faster, more reliable service across global markets for maritime, aviation, land, and government applications. The original Iridium constellation completed approximately 100,000 orbits of Earth before being sustainably de-orbited as part of the replacement program.
Customer Success Stories
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23rd February 2023Empowering Climate Resilience Through Satellite-Enabled Precision Farming
Ground Control’s RockBLOCK 9602 is providing vital connectivity for Synnefa’s precision farming tools, helping farmers in Kenya gain greater yields and reduce waste, aligned with the UN’s sustainable development goals.
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12th October 2022How RockBLOCK Helps Deliver Medical Care via Drone
Cancer patients on the Isle of Wight, located just off the south coast of the UK, sometimes experience issues in receiving their chemotherapy treatment. Transporting the chemotherapy via drone – using the RockBlock technology – reduces the transport time to 30 minutes.
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23rd November 2022Finding Optimum Oil and Gas Sites with 40Geo Drifting Data Buoys
40Geo captures geographical information from hard-to-reach areas with drifting data buoys to aid decisions about when and where to situate oil and gas operations. Using the RockBLOCK 9602, the team can extract close to real-time data under any circumstances, unaffected by location, weather or cellular coverage.
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1st July 2022Satellite-Enabled Tsunami Early Warning System
As a critical communications network, there was never any question that ASC’s early warning system would need to utilise satellite connectivity, both for the coverage requirements and network reliability. Commercial terrestrial power and communications networks tend to perform poorly in a disaster – either through overuse or damage to their infrastructure.
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18th July 2022Effortless cloud-based fleet tracking with v2track
When you combine the tracking and communication capabilities of the RockAIR, RockSTAR and RockFLEET devices with V2Track’s innovative and constantly improved software solution, you have an end-to-end solution for fleet tracking, anywhere in the world.
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9th January 2023RockSTAR Provides Vital Tracking Telemetry for Soldiers and Ultra Runners
How JCSys customized the RockSTAR to provide end-to-end, real-time, global tracking capabilities for the UK’s Armed Forces & ultra-marathon events.
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11th August 2021Environmental Monitoring and Reporting
A Government Agency responsible for coastal, stormwater and catchment management has assigned Ground Control customer Obscape to assist with reporting on areas such as – monitoring and reporting on catchment management, flood risk areas, storm drains and drainage ditches with the aid of the RockBLOCK.
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15th August 2021Epsom College and the Microtransat Challenge
Epsom College are competing in The Microtransat challenge and are trying to build a robot boat that can sail from England to America autonomously. It has been attempted approximately 25 times by Universities, Businesses and Individuals; however, it has never been completed.
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5th August 2021Automated Landslide Monitoring
Slide Sentinel is a fully automated landslide monitoring system using RTK. It regularly monitors landslide activity with high spatiotemporal resolution and centimetre-level accuracy for long-term deployments. Measuring this way aids in early warning information and limits the use of invasive and expensive drilling.
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4th August 2021Preventing Illegal Deforestation
The world’s two largest rainforests, the Congo Basin and the Amazon, are under threat from illegal extraction activities. Unfortunately, authorities have long lacked the means and mechanisms to deal with these illegalities which destroy ecosystems and undermine both forest and indigenous people’s livelihoods.
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3rd August 2021Off-Grid Fire-Prevention Systems
RockBLOCK is a versatile, compact, low-power and dependable way of sending and receiving data from remote homes. It uses the Iridium satellite network, giving truly global coverage and is a vital part of fire prevention systems.
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Kraken – Ocean Drifter Buoy
‘Kraken’ is a project by Sutton Grammar School. The main concept behind the buoy is its primary use as an oil response system. The system is based around an oil response unit that aims to make it easier for oil companies to clean up spills quickly and effectively.
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16th January 2023Real-time Oceanic and Meteorological Telemetry with RockREMOTE
MTE’s Viking Buoy has been deployed across North America to deliver maritime IoT insights for the scientific research community. Here’s how upgrading to the RockREMOTE and Certus 100 service has helped further their mission.
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19th December 2022Preventing poaching in Gabon with RockREMOTE IMT
Leveraging the new IMT satellite service by Iridium, RockREMOTE exposes integrators to an industry-standard MQTT interface. Ground Control’s development of a new Satellite IoT Gateway enables Digital Forest to quickly and easily integrate two-way messaging into their application using standard MQTT libraries for their platforms.
Do you need any help?
We have been working with Iridium as gold-tier partners since 2005, and our customer use cases range from polar exploration to prescription-delivering drones, so we're well placed to provide you with expert advice.
