Iridium Communications and SkyWave have announced a partnership to help heavy equipment manufacturers modernise connected operations and extend connectivity worldwide.
The deal combines SkyWave’s network orchestration platform with Iridium’s low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite network, aiming to help original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) build more resilient connected equipment services across remote and disconnected operating environments.
Heavy equipment manufacturers expanding connected services face pressure to improve equipment uptime, modernise legacy deployments and deliver a consistent customer experience across fleets operating in remote locations.
Many existing deployments rely on fragmented communications infrastructure, which limits asset visibility, delays service response and constrains the rollout of new digital capabilities.
The partnership combines Iridium’s LEO satellite network and Short Burst Data (SBD) services with SkyWave’s multi-network management solution and OGx IoT platform. Iridium SBD is being embedded directly into SkyWave satellite IoT terminals, giving SkyWave’s heavy equipment OEM customers the option to access Iridium’s LEO network.
The combined offering will give OEMs a platform that extends connected services across satellite, cellular and Wi-Fi networks.
The integrated solution is said to support applications including remote monitoring, diagnostics, predictive maintenance, service support and the modernisation of existing connected equipment fleets. The partnership initially focuses on heavy equipment manufacturers, with the underlying architecture designed to support additional industrial sectors where assets operate globally, remotely, or beyond the reach of terrestrial networks.
Matt Desch, chief executive of Iridium, said: “For more than two decades, Iridium has provided the only pole-to-pole mobile satellite network, delivering the coverage, resiliency, and reliability that mission-critical operations demand. We look forward to partnering with SkyWave to bring Iridium’s global LEO capabilities to industrial IoT customers operating in even the most demanding environments.”
Sameer Agrawal, chief executive officer of ORBCOMM, parent company of SkyWave, said: “This partnership is an important step in SkyWave’s mission to become the intelligent networking layer for industrial IoT.
“Heavy equipment OEMs are looking for ways to modernise legacy deployments, expand connected service capabilities and deliver reliable digital experiences wherever their equipment operates. By combining Iridium’s global LEO capabilities with SkyWave’s platform, we are enabling OEMs to build and scale those capabilities across multiple networks.”
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