Iridium Satellite today announced the appointment of eight new value-added partners offering Iridium-based products and services for remote asset management and other machine-to-machine (M2M) data applications. Iridium's newly appointed value-added resellers (VARs) are GEOTrac International, Implicit Solutions, IonEarth, PremierGPS and ROM Communications.
Iridium's VARs provide integrated wireless data solutions for specific applications and industries. VARs integrate Iridium hardware and data services along with other hardware and software to provide a packaged data solution.
Iridium has also named BriarTek, CosComm International and SATTRANS as value-added developers (VADs). Iridium created its VAD program to develop relationships with those companies that have a particular technical expertise or capability to develop a new product or a solution that uses Iridium voice or data services.
VADs work directly with Iridium service partners, VARs and value-added manufacturers to distribute their solutions or products.
"All of these companies are actively involved in the emerging M2M sector," said Greg Ewert, executive vice president of Iridium Satellite. "This is an important growth market for Iridium, and our service partners are spearheading the development of new packages to leverage Iridium's global coverage and low-latency, reliable data links for a wide range of exciting new capabilities in tracking and managing assets."
Iridium reports that data traffic through its satellite network increased 44 percent over the last 12 months, spurred by the broad-based market acceptance of Iridium's new 9601 short-burst data modem since its introduction in the first quarter of 2006.
