Iridium Satellite LLC, the global supplier of mobile satellite communication services, said that it has approximately 127,000 subscribers as of June 30, 2005. This is a 20 per cent increase over its total number of subscribers at mid-year 2004.
The new total also represents an 11 per cent increase over the 114,000 subscribers that Iridium reported as of December 31, 2004. Revenue for the first six months of 2005 increased 27 percent over total revenue for the same period last year.
"Through the first six months of this year, Iridium met or exceeded its targets for subscribers, revenue and profitability," said Carmen Lloyd, chairman and chief executive officer, Iridium Satellite. "We are on track with our business plan for the network, which places emphasis on adding integrated voice and data subscribers in key vertical markets. In particular, we expect to see continued strong demand for mission-critical, embedded application services by our maritime, aviation and defense customers. And, our commercial subscriber base has grown significantly -- now roughly four times as large as our defense subscriber base."
Maritime
In June, Iridium signed a letter of intent for Radio Holland Group to provide installation and support services for Iridium marine satellite communication systems. Radio Holland plans to become the Preferred Iridium Maritime Equipment Service Centre, offering installation, maintenance and repair capabilities to Iridium partners, dealers and end-users. Radio Holland will install Iridium marine terminals, provide onboard inspection and troubleshooting of Iridium equipment, and provide project management and logistical services to support major fleet customers.
It is also upgrading and enhancing its In-Network service to make it easier for fleet operators to take advantage of the low-cost calling and the convenience of prepaid Crew Calling programs. The In-Network service provides substantial savings in satellite-calling charges by routing calls end-to-end via satellite without going through a gateway or switching station. This avoids additional charges from public switched telephone networks (PSTNs). The call path is highly secure, making it ideal for confidential or secure communications between ships and offices ashore, says an statement from Iridium.
"The newly released enhancements will permit Iridium service providers to offer shipping fleets an outstanding integrated package for In-Network and Crew Calling," said Greg Ewert, executive vice president of Iridium Satellite. "Shipping companies currently using the In-Network service have reported a rapid return on investment through savings in satellite communication costs."
The shoreside Iridium terminals can be connected into the building's central telephone switching system, so that satellite calls can be initiated and received at phones throughout the facility.
Ewert noted that Iridium also offers a two-stage dialing service for applications in which it is impossible or impractical to install a fixed Iridium terminal, for instance, when the view of the satellites is blocked by other structures in urban locations. In these cases, the user can still realise considerable cost savings when calling Iridium-equipped ships by dialing a special dedicated Iridium number.
