MCLEAN, Va., Oct. 23, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Iridium Communications Inc. (Nasdaq:IRDM) today announced an agreement with Trimble (Nasdaq:TRMB) that expands the company's use of satellite communications in its core Transportation and Logistics (T&L) solutions beyond the North American market. Under the agreement, Iridium will provide satellite Machine-to-Machine (M2M) connectivity services for Trimble's T&L solutions in Europe and several other regions of the world. Iridium, a long-time Trimble partner, already provides connectivity for Trimble companies PeopleNet and Geotrac, leading service providers in the Transportation and Fleet Management spaces.
"The expansion of satellite based M2M connectivity services with an industry leader such as Trimble is a clear demonstration of the economic value and capabilities that the Iridium® network provides both its customers and end users," said David Wigglesworth, Vice President & General Manager, Americas & Global M2M Services, Iridium. "Our network's global coverage and low latency is ideally suited for Trimble's transport management solutions, and we're proud that it will play an important role in Trimble's global vision for making companies more productive, anywhere their work takes them. We look forward to supporting their global growth strategy."
With Iridium, companies like Trimble leverage a broad range of M2M capabilities supported by the company's unique satellite network which delivers superior, globally uniform, service. Iridium's reliable satellite network ensures connectivity for the more than 80 percent of the earth's surface not covered by traditional terrestrial networks.
"As we seek more ways to support companies' success in the global economy and expand into regions where cellular coverage isn't ubiquitous, it's important that we ensure our customers are able to maximize the value our solutions provide. Their need for operational efficiencies has no boundaries," said Ron Konezny, Vice President, Global Transportation & Logistics, Trimble. "Iridium's unique leadership in providing truly global, reliable coverage makes this relationship ideal for our strategy to serve our customers in new ways and places."
Iridium's M2M business serves the mission-critical enterprise communication needs for global OEM's in addition to after-market solution providers of fleet and vehicle tracking, heavy equipment, container and mobile asset tracking across the transportation, utility, oil and gas, maritime and aviation markets. Iridium's commercial M2M data subscribers have grown at a 36 percent compound annual rate since 2008. The company now draws over one-fifth of its commercial service revenue from the satellite M2M market.
About Iridium Communications Inc.
Iridium is the only mobile voice and data satellite communications network that spans the entire globe. Iridium enables connections between people, organizations and assets to and from anywhere, in real time. Together with its ecosystem of partner companies, Iridium delivers an innovative and rich portfolio of reliable solutions for markets that require truly global communications. The company has a major development program underway for its next-generation network — Iridium NEXT. Iridium Communications Inc. is headquartered in McLean, Va., U.S.A., and its common stock trades on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the ticker symbol IRDM. For more information about Iridium products, services and partner solutions, visit www.iridium.com.