IRIDIUM
in
Regulatory
Compliance
Process
to
Enter
Russian
Market
May
11,
2009
Iridium
Satellite
LLC,
announces
it
has
formed
a
company
called,
?Iridium
Communications
Russia,
OOO?
to
pursue
a
license
for
providing
MSS
services
in
Russia.
The
Iridium
low-earth
orbiting
(LEO)
satellite
constellation
covers
the
entire
planet
and
provides
services
where
no
other
means
of
communication
exist.
Iridium
sees
an
opportunity
to
provide
an
essential
service
in
Russia,
particularly
given
the
extensive,
open
land
masses
without
telecommunications
infrastructure
in
the
country,
in
addition
to
Russia?s
harsh
climates
and
northern
sea
routes
where
only
Iridium
has
the
coverage
to
provide
service.
Iridium
is
the
only
MSS
service
that
works
in
the
Arctic
Regions,
which
is
particularly
important
for
organizations
that
need
to
meet
government
regulatory
obligations
to
have
reliable
long-range
identification
and
tracking
(LRIT)
devices
and
maritime
distress
safety
systems
on
maritime
vessels.
There
is
an
initiative
within
the
maritime
industry
for
MSS
systems
to
become
certified
for
use
in
the
Global
Maritime
Distress
and
Safety
System
(GMDSS)
and
only
Iridium
can
provide
complete
universal
coverage
over
all
the
GMDSS
Regions,
including
A4
(the
extreme
polar
regions).
In
addition,
aircraft
rely
on
flight
communications
systems
for
safety
while
flying
polar
routes.
The
Radio-Technical
Commission
for
Aeronautics
(RTCA)
recently
finalized
key
documents
to
facilitate
evaluation
and
approval
of
Iridium-based
critical
safety
communications
for
air
carriers
on
transoceanic
flights.
Russian
citizens
living,
working
and
traveling
in
rural
territories
within
Russia
will
now
have
a
reliable
telecommunications
service
available
to
stay
connected.
And,
the
company
anticipates
its
services
will
also
be
in
demand
in
market
sectors
within
Russia
such
as
emergency
response,
civil
government,
oil
and
gas,
and
mining.
Matt
Desch,
Iridium
CEO
and
chairman
said,
?We
are
looking
forward
to
seeing
Iridium
become
a
part
of
the
Russian
telecom
market
?
a
vibrant
market
that
is
open
to
the
type
of
innovation
Iridium
delivers.
Strong
demand
for
Iridium
services
in
Russia
has
driven
and
underpinned
our
efforts
in
resuming
activities
in
the
country
and,
after
having
obtained
all
necessary
Russian
approvals, we
hope
we
will
be
able
to
begin
to
offer
services
in
Russia
by
the
end
of
this
year.?
At
Sviaz-Expocomm,
Iridium
will
showcase
its
innovative
product
portfolio,
including
the
Iridium
9555
satellite
phone;
Iridium
OpenPort?,
an
enhanced-speed
maritime
communications
service;
and
the
Iridium
9601
short
burst
data
modem
used
for
global
asset
tracking
and
monitoring.
Khrunichev
State
Research
and
Production
Space
Center
has
been
a
key
Iridium
partner
since
2001
when
the
two
companies
signed
a
collaborative
agreement
to
work
together
to
advance
the
process
to
make
Iridium
services
available
in
Russia.
Khrunichev
owns
and
operates
an
Iridium
gateway
and
discussions
are
underway
for
joint
gateway
modernization.
Iridium
also
plans
to
selectively
expand
its
network
of
more
than
235+
global
distribution
partners
by
adding
new
service
providers
in
the
Russian
market.
The
company?s
partner
ecosystem
expansion
plans
will
enable
delivery
of
the
full
portfolio
of
Iridium
products
and
services
to
the
Russian
market.
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