Cobham SATCOM shows SAILOR 4300 for the first time at Nor-Shipping (illustration: Cobham)

Cobham SATCOM has unveiled its first Iridium Certus Connected™ terminal at Nor-Shipping 2017, the SAILOR 4300. Due to go live in the first half of 2018, Iridium Certus℠ is a new portfolio of global satellite services powered by Iridium® NEXT, a ground-breaking second-generation L-band global satellite constellation established to deliver an uncompromising solution for the future of global maritime communications.

The SAILOR 4300 is a Broadband Core Transceiver (BCX) type terminal, offering a highly reliable link over the Iridium NEXT satellite network with speeds suitable for data-heavy applications including; videoconferencing, multi-user Internet/VPN, IoT and telemedicine, alongside regular usage including email, electronic forms/reporting and crew communication.

“The SAILOR 4300 for Iridium Certus is designed for users to get the most from Iridium’s next generation services,” says Casper Jensen, Senior Vice President, Cobham SATCOM. “It expands our extensive L-band antenna portfolio and complements SAILOR VSAT antennas, ensuring ship owners and service providers can choose the best performing, most reliable antenna systems for all of their needs, from a single, trusted supplier.”

With the first customer shipment expected by the end of 2017, Cobham SATCOM’s new Iridium Certus Connected terminal will be among the first available for operation on the Iridium NEXT constellation. Like Iridium’s current satellite constellation, Iridium NEXT features a cross-linked Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) architecture, providing coverage over 100% of the earth’s surface. Iridium Certus will guarantee high bandwidth connectivity as a primary channel or as an integral part of multi-band communication networks.

While delivering high-speed, global connectivity as a standalone terminal, SAILOR 4300 has also been designed for seamless integration with onboard communication networks, making it an ideal solution for VSAT service providers to provide a cost-effective, high-speed secondary/back-up communications channel. SAILOR 4300 provides this capability using a specially designed, easy to configure VSAT integrator ‘smart box’.

“Iridium NEXT uniquely positions us to offer a diverse portfolio of faster and more affordable global broadband services and devices for maritime users,” says Wouter Deknopper, vice-president and general manager maritime, Iridium. “On board terminals are a critical aspect of Iridium Certusservices, and based on experience, we are confident that Cobham SATCOM’s SAILOR 4300 will provide the quality our customers need to experience reliable, high-speed connectivity worldwide.”

“Cobham SATCOM is an experienced first-mover in the development of L-band terminals and is already established as a market and technology leading enabler within the sector,” says Anders Tue Olsen, Business Manager, L-Band, Maritime Business Unit, Cobham SATCOM. “SAILOR 4300 for Iridium Certus combines the same reliability, flexibility and ease of installation inherent to Cobham SATCOM’s existing L-band terminal portfolio, ensuring that customers moving to Iridium’s next generation network experience the best available service at a very competitive price point.”

Tags: Cobham SATCOM, Iridium