Iridium Satellite LLC, which owns and operates a global satellite communications system, has identified the Middle East as a key growth market for its satellite services. Launching commercial services in April 2001, Iridium was created in December 2000 when it bought the assets of its bankrupt predecessor, Iridium LLC.
Gino Picasso, chief executive officer (CEO) of Iridium Satellite LLC said, “The new Iridium is different from the former company in that it concentrates on specific vertical markets which cannot be linked through terrestrial cellular networks. With its dynamic business environment, the Middle East region offers many new growth opportunities in key vertical market segments such as oil and gas, maritime and aviation.”
Hans Kuijit, managing director of the Dubai based Glocall Middle East, said that the regional demand for Iridium satellite communication services was growing at an impressive rate of over 20 percent per month.
“In the last few months, Glocall has sold hundreds of thousands of minutes of Iridium satellite time globally. We have also entered into bulk agreements with several reputed companies in the oil and gas industries and aid agencies that are very active in the region, for a variety of Iridium services”.
In the Middle East, Iridium services are offered through premier Service Providers (SPs) Glocall—which operates in the region through its fully owned subsidiary, Glocall Middle East); AST Airtime Limited, which specializes in the oil and gas industry; Honeywell, which focuses on the aviation market segment; O'Gara, formerly known as SatCom and Tryco.
Iridium is the only provider of truly global satellite voice and data solutions with complete coverage of the earth, including oceans, airways and the polar regions. Through a constellation of 66 low-earth orbiting (LEO) satellites operated by the Boeing Company, Iridium delivers essential data and voice communications services to and from remote areas where other forms of communication are unavailable, unreliable or nonexistent.
“Multinational companies, governments and individual users seeking remote communications capabilities have several new options to purchase Iridium services. Iridium fills a critical infrastructure void as 86 percent of the world's landmass and oceans are not covered by terrestrial wireless services,” said Picasso. — (menareport.com)
© 2002 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
