AST has launched their Optima Package, an all-inclusive Iridium Certus offering from that offers flexibility and capability for users who require dependable global connectivity without the barrier of upfront capital investment.

AST's Optima Package offers no upfront cost, flexible Iridium Certus airtime plans and inclusive hardware terminals. This AST package will enable a wide range of both Land and Maritime customers to adopt the Iridium Certus service, benefiting from brand new hardware, the fastest L-band data speeds and truly global coverage - all for a single, fixed, monthly fee.

AST’s “Optima Package”  includes INTEGRA Control which, according to the company, is the only real-time data management solution on the market today; IRIS, their award-winning remote monitoring solution as well as access to their 24/7 manned Global Customer Support Team.

The new GMDSS service planned to go live in the first half of 2020 will provide truly global satellite GMDSS service to mariners and offer a new choice in satellite network and equipment. The addition of Iridium as a GMDSS provider will extend the coverage of this service to 100 percent of the planet's waterways, including the dangerous A4 regions (Arctic and Antarctic) for the first time. In the future, Iridium Certus will be all that is required on-board to meet global maritime safety standards.

Gregory Darling, Group Managing Director, said that a little over a year ago, AST made the first commercial call over the Iridium Certus network and since then the company has successfully activated hundreds of services for customers around the world. With the launch of this unique Optima Package, and with Iridium Certus due to become the fastest L-band service ever available, AST believes that many more customers will be in a position to adopt Iridium Certus as their service of choice.