Photograph: (from left to right) Jurgens Els, AST M2M Manager, Gregory Darling, Managing Director AST, Richard Prodger, Technical Director AWS and Rob Blackwell, R&D Director AWS.

...deliver a global satellite based M2M platform, AST iX. Both AST and AWS have extensive experience within the satellite industry and saw a specific and unique gap in the growing Machine to Machine (M2M) market for satellite messaging.

The new AST iX platform enables organizations to monitor and control remote equipment anywhere on the planet and at the touch of a button, without human interaction. AST iX is at the forefront of this modern market sector offering new capabilities to established and developing areas, emerging countries and remote sites, where there may be limited or unreliable communication infrastructure available. Existing GSM mobile networks only reach a small percentage of the Earth’s surface. Low cost satellite data has global coverage allowing it to reach all locations including the Polar Regions.

The low cost M2M platform will enable applications such as; utility control, environmental monitoring and direct SCADA connections via satellite, and extends the reach of the “Internet of Things” to previously inaccessible areas. The platform is currently being used in the monitoring of water distribution networks in Namibia where it is proving to be a cost effective, reliable solution. “We are excited to be providing global end-to-end M2M solutions, using leading edge technologies” said Gregory Darling, Managing Director at AST.

AST has been working within the industry for 20 years, has a global distribution network as well as a wealth of experience.  AWS has an award winning software solution, the Global Alerting Platform (GAP), used across the globe for satellite messaging, and is a global hub for satellite messaging devices providing location tracking, emergency alerting, message routing and storage. Designed for device resellers, device manufacturing and enterprise organisations; GAP provides customisable portals for web based mapping, monitoring, alerting and geofencing. Available as a pay-as-you-go model, GAP provides a reliable and cost effective solution allowing you to benefit from all of the advanced messaging features and portal services without having to develop and manage your own software infrastructure.