The 176 kbps version of Iridium’s Certus satcom service is now commercially available for maritime, with the Iridium Certus 200 system offering connectivity and up to three voice lines via a 0.7kg antenna.
The first maritime equipment available for the Certus 200 service class is the Thales VesseLINK 200, with a Lars Thrane LT-4200 terminal expected to be introduced to the market in early 2022.
Iridium says that the L-band service is targeted at leisure yachts, fishing vessels, autonomous watercraft, and workboats such as tugboats, ferries, dredgers, and patrol boats. It can support vessel monitoring systems (VMS), IoT and sensor data collection and transmission, and applications like web browsing, email, voice calling and chat functions.
The system is being positioned as a primary communications link for small vessels or as a VSAT companion on larger ships, and has been designed to provide GMDSS service capability in the future.
“Iridium Certus is a powerful connectivity platform, providing the flexibility for our partners to develop specialised terminals that enhance different capabilities across all industries,” said Bryan Hartin, Executive Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Iridium.
“Iridium Certus 200 fills an important gap in our broadband portfolio, offering a more affordable product and service class, with reliable connectivity that will expand to more markets.”
