Carol Collins
Iridium Communications has partnered with MetOcean Telematics and provided the Canadian Coast Guard with Certus Thales VesseLINK marine satellite broadband terminals in an effort to enhance the service branch’s internet reliability in the high Arctic region.
The Iridium network will work on supporting the coordination of the Coast Guard ships and crew members to the headquarters and allow access to navigational data and weather information, the company said Wednesday.
Matt Desch, Iridium CEO and seven-time Wash100 awardee, noted that the Canadian Coast Guard offers services that enable safe movement in the Arctic waterways. “Iridium is proud to support the Coast Guard’s initiatives by enabling them to stay connected no matter how far north or remote their duty takes them,” he added.
Iridium Certus is designed to provide weather-resilient global coverage to ensure reliable connectivity. The Coast Guard has integrated the technology into its vessel terminals and icebreakers to help in the delivery of programs and services.
In addition to conducting marine search and rescue, the Canadian Coast Guard is also responsible for attending to environmental incidents. Tony Chedrawy, MetOcean Telematics CEO, said they are pleased to contribute to the service’s communication projects and support real-time secure voice, data and crew communications initiatives.
