Peter Döhle Schiffahrts-KG, a beta customer for Iridium OpenPort under an agreement with Vizada, an Iridium service provider, installed a test unit aboard a 1600 TEU ocean-going vessel. Fleet IT and communication coordinator Michael Dittmer listed three positive aspects of OpenPort; the antenna array has no moving parts, worldwide connectivity, and the service has low hardware costs, as well as the positive impact OpenPort could have on shipping routes through the Northwest Passage, a region uncovered by other operators.
Zodiac Shipping Agencies Ltd., which manages a fleet of 125 ships was another beta customer who reported that uniform voice quality and data throughput met their expectations as a cost-effective solution for ship’s business, crew calling and e-mail.
To date, 11 of Iridium’s largest mobile satellite service (MSS) partners are preparing to distribute Iridium OpenPort. They include AND Group, Applied Satellite Technology, Becker Marine Systems Communication, Globe Wireless, MVS, Otesat Maritel, Satcom Group, Seamobile Europe Geolink Satellite Services, Stratos, Telaurus and Vizada. In most cases, these service partners are integrating Iridium OpenPort with their own hardware and software products to provide a suite of customer-focused voice and IP-based data packages for ship’s business and crew calling.
Iridium OpenPort offers three independent telephone circuits, which can be used simultaneously without interference, as well as a user-selectable range of data speeds from 9.6 to 128 kbps to meet ships’ requirements. Data rates can easily be adjusted up or down at any time without making hardware or software changes, giving the user options that allow them to balance needs for speed of data transmission against cost considerations on a real-time basis.