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Government Satellite News Brief

Contents

  1. Letter to the Editor
  2. Blue Oceans uses Iridium for Remote Monitoring of Explosive Magazines
  3. Vizada Secures Contract with Delta Wave Communications to Supply Mobile Satcoms Service to US Army Corps of Engineers
  4. Iridium Satellite Provides Critical Support for Harris Corporation's Falcon Watch System
  5. KGL Transport Delivers with FMS and Iridium
  6. Visit HTML link
  7. Download PDF Version

Letter to the Editor

This news brief presents a summary of the latest news from Iridium Satellite and its value-added partners in the government/military market. Iridium has experienced exceptional growth in serving the government and military customer base, and our global satellite communications network continues to serve as a dependable utility and critical lifeline. Iridium is the only mobile satellite service provider offering pole-to-pole coverage. In addition, Iridium offers not only global voice communication, but also the best data communications service for asset tracking, remote monitoring and telemetry reporting of equipment and troops.

Also, by now, I'm sure you have probably heard the news about our GHL Acquisition Corporation announcement in Fall 2008. This proposed transaction, coupled with our strong cash-flow position, is expected to provide Iridium with the key financial underpinnings it needs to develop and deploy our next-generation satellite network, Iridium NEXT. Fourth quarter 2008 results included reaching 320,000 subscribers, and metrics for the year including revenue of $320.9 million and net income of $53.9 million. Government services revenue was $67.8 million for 2008, a 17% increase over the $57.9 million of revenue for 2007.

We hope that you find the below stories timely and newsworthy to share with your readers. If you need any additional information or are interested in developing these stories further, please feel free to contact me, Liz DeCastro (liz.decastro@iridium.com), or Bonnie Lieb (bonnie@sageagency.com), and we'll be happy to set up interviews, and provide additional background or photographs.

Sincerely, 
Liz DeCastro 
Director, Corporate Communications 
Iridium Satellite LLC

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Blue Oceans uses Iridium for Remote Monitoring of Explosive Magazines

Blue Oceans Satellite Systems Inc., an Iridium value-added reseller (VAR), announced its newest application for asset tracking and remote monitoring with the addition of its Explosives Regulatory Division (ERD)-Compliant Satellite-Based Explosive Magazine Monitoring Solution. The solution, based on the system requirements of the federal government of Canada's Explosives Magazine Security Surveillance Program, represents the latest evolution of the company's remote monitoring capabilities. The Explosive Magazine Monitoring Solution utilizes the Iridium Satellite Network, delivering truly global coverage, to offer the only certified two-way access control to remote explosive magazines.

Employing the bi-directional Iridium data service allows Blue Oceans' customers to implement on-demand remote queries of systems and immediate over-the-air system updates, such as the addition or removal of access entry codes. It also allows for the remote diagnosis of problems, which virtually eliminates the need to dispatch service personnel. Additionally, the base product is easily expandable, allowing two explosive magazines to be monitored from one unit. Customers find these cost-effective benefits particularly valuable. And, unlike cellular, or other radio services, Iridium provides coverage anywhere on Earth.

The Explosive Magazine Monitoring Solution provides clients with peace of mind in the knowledge that their magazines are safeguarded against unlawful entry and will be compliant with new federal governmental regulations.

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Vizada Secures Contract with Delta Wave Communications to Supply Mobile Satcoms Service to US Army Corps of Engineers

Vizada, an Iridium service provider, has won a contract with Delta Wave Communications Inc. to supply the United States Army Corp of Engineers - Engineer Research and Development Center (USACE - ERDC) with mobile satellite communications services in the U.S. and overseas. The services provided to the USACE-ERDC will include the Iridium 9505A handheld mobile telephone enabling engineers to make voice calls from anywhere in the world, including the north and south poles.

The USACE-ERDC provides engineering and infrastructure services including the planning, design and building of water resources (navigation, flood control, disaster response, etc.), as well as the construction of military facilities for the Army and Air Force and Defense and Federal agencies.

This combination of mobile satellite services is designed to cater to a variety of needs during remote missions: increased security through rapid access to a voice service anywhere in the world; smooth-running of operations through constant contact between headquarters and teams in the field; greater autonomy for remote employees through broadband data connections; improved morale among remote or overseas-based engineers through private communications solutions.

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Iridium Satellite Provides Critical Support for Harris Corporation's Falcon Watch System

Harris Corporation, an Iridium partner, created the Falcon Watch Remote Intrusion Detection and Surveillance System to provide a complete solution for unattended sensing of personnel and/or vehicles for intelligence gathering and border security applications in harsh, remote environments. The remote imager taps the Iridium network through the Falcon Watch Intelligent Gateway to communicate sensor data and images since only Iridium's global coverage can provide the real-time, situational data required in any remote location or harsh condition around the globe.

The Falcon Watch Intelligent Gateway supports missions by supplying wireless long-haul connectivity between sensors in the field and assigned command and control centers. The Intelligent Gateway provides beyond line-of-sight Falcon Watch sensor data and images via the Iridium Satellite network using Iridium-based short-burst data (SBD) devices. The Falcon Watch sensors process information from various detectors and transmit messages to the Intelligent Gateway when events occur. The Intelligent Gateway further processes multiple alarms to create actionable intelligence reports that are then passed via Iridium to remote operators for display using the Falcon Watch Sensor Management Application.

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KGL Transport Delivers with FMS and Iridium

When it comes to safe, reliable and cost-effective movement of goods in the Middle East, KGL Transportation Company (KGL TC) is a leader. The U.S. military is one of KGL TC's prominent government customers. KGL TC provides logistical mission support to the coalition forces including transportation between Kuwait and Iraq. To ensure it could support the military's uniquely stringent requirements for real-time information, asset and driver safety and availability, KGL TC turned to Fleet Management Solutions, Inc. (FMS), an Iridium VAR, to enhance its fleet tracking capabilities.

Combining the latest global positioning system (GPS) technology with advanced Iridium two-way satellite-based communications and the FMS web-based Fleet Central application, FMS delivers a turn-key system that provides its customers with measurable improvements in asset utilization and labor productivity, while reducing the risk of theft and cost of recovery. In addition to being much more efficient and reliable than the manual tracking methods, such as Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags and cellular phones previously used to keep in touch with drivers, the FMS system demonstrated a return on investment nearly immediately.

The system deployed at KGL TC consists of two main devices, the MLT-400i that is placed in the tractor and the TLT-400i placed in the trailer. The two devices send data back to the FMS Network Operations Center which provides complete data security and 99.99% uptime. KGL TC administrators and customers can access the Fleet Central application from a standard web browser from any location with internet connectivity.

KGL TC began its deployment of the FMS system to support a specific military logistics contract. Based on the positive results seen to date, the company plans to roll out the solution to other military customers as well as to the commercial sector in 2009, extending the benefits and cost savings of the system to the non-military side of KGL TC business.

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