Iridium Satellite military traffic up

BETHESDA, Md., Nov. 2 (UPI) -- Maryland-based Iridium Satellite announced that its military sector business is showing continued growth as a result of increased Defense Department traffic.

Iridium is a satellite voice and data solutions provider with a network of 66 low-Earth orbiting satellites for the government, military and emergency services markets among others.

The company announced that its Defense Department satellite subscribers have reached 31,000 and that military traffic through Iridium's satellite network is up almost 10 percent from the previous fiscal year. Company officials say the strong growth for the military segment has resulted in a 300 percent increase from what Iridium had planned.

"Iridium is well-suited to meet the unique needs of war fighters because of their constant movements around the globe," retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. John Campbell, Iridium executive vice president of government affairs, said in a statement.

"Iridium is the only mobile satellite service provider offering ubiquitous pole-to-pole coverage with no service gaps anywhere on the planet. In addition, Iridium offers not only secure, global voice communication, but also asset tracking, remote monitoring and telemetry reporting of equipment and troops."

As a result of the company's overall military segment growth, Iridium has enhanced its military applications. Company officials say the enhancement includes the introduction of a 9601 data modem for the Defense Department for asset tracking, management and force protection among other upgrades for the military and first responder communities.