Inmarsat And Skywave To Launch New Global Low Data Rate Service

 

                                                                                 

15 March 2011 

Inmarsat to with partner SkyWave Mobile Communications to develop a new low data rate tracking, monitoring and messaging service that is planned for launch in  Q3 2011. 

IsatData Pro will deliver a significant increase in capability over other services already in the market.  Near real-time messages of up to 10,000 bytes to the device, and up to 6,400 bytes from the device, will meet the increasing demand for higher data speeds in machine-to-machine (M2M) solutions.  In comparison, other global M2M services currently on the market offer data connectivity at just 270-340 bytes. 

The new service will support a wide range of security and location-based services in the fast-growing M2M market: from tracking and in-cab messaging for commercial transportation and government fleets, transmitting telemetry information from oil & gas distribution equipment, to remote management and control of fixed assets. 

SkyWave and Inmarsat will promote IsatData Pro to government users and the road, rail, merchant shipping, commercial fishing, oil & gas, and utilities sectors.  Target geographies include the U.S and Latin America, but also China and Russia, two rapidly expanding markets for M2M services. 

“This is a new service, with new hardware and new infrastructure, that significantly expands the applications that the Inmarsat system supports,” said Drew Brandy, Director of Land Services at Inmarsat.  “We see lots of untapped opportunity in the M2M market for a reliable global service that can offer more: more data, more flexibility and a more reliable network.  And, as people will see when we launch the service, it will be highly cost-effective too.”