3 ms·

I dunno. I would be surprised if a 30 year old telecommunications network is going to be technically competitive with a SpaceX's LEO network that is still launc

by ryandvm 3mo ago

I dunno. I would be surprised if a 30 year old telecommunications network is going to be technically competitive with a SpaceX's LEO network that is still launching satellites as we speak. How much market is there for people that just want low speed connectivity from the middle of nowhere?

ttul 3mo ago
It’s not about Iridium. It’s about Iridium’s customers and partnerships. RocketLab hopes to launch their own satellites presumably and then can sell significantly improved services to them, without having to build a customer base from scratch.
denotes 3mo ago
Sailors may be a small and dwindling community, but this is our core use case. When you are sailing offshore you need to download weather predictions so that you can chart your course to catch favorable winds. My experience with Iridium is that you open a targeted set of ports for the modem to feed your phone via, and then you don't have to think about it again. 100+ nautical miles offshore and it just works.
- NetMageSCW 3mo ago
  T-Mobile has weather available off-grid now on existing phones?
  - lxgr 3mo ago
    Not offshore though, as they only have domestic spectrum.
- levl289 3mo ago
  How does starlink compare? Beginner sailor here, and I thought this was a solved problem, now.
kilroy123 3mo ago
You realize they have a new network of satellites, right? It works much better than the old version with the 90s tech. A lot of remote IOT devices use Iridium, as well as the US government or DoD.
- lxgr 3mo ago
  I think Iridium SBD, which is what a lot of IoT applications are based on, already worked with the old constellation, which is actually quite impressive given that it doesn't seem easy to retrofit that onto an in-space switched network.
m4rtink 3mo ago
AFAIK Iridium is part of some important airliner navigation systems and standards - while a niche, it can still be very lucrative business. and I would not be surprised if it was embedded like this into various other systems that are less cost sensitive.
- cozzyd 3mo ago
  yes, for example it's used on high altitude balloons.
- lxgr 3mo ago
  Yep, it's one of only two satellite communications systems certified for both GMDSS/SOLAS and aviation operation and safety (ATC) use cases, and the only global one at that (the other one being Inmarsat/Viasat, which does not work near the poles due to being GEO based). It took Iridium over a decade to get that certification; availability and political concerns are probably much larger in that segment than for e.g. home or passenger entertainment Internet use. In the medium and long term, I can see the high-throughput LEO players eat Iridium's lunch for aviation, though; small antenna size (and the lower drag that goes with it) used to be their main advantage over Ku and Ka band offerings, but now most airlines want passenger connectivity anyway, and once you have that, the pressure to just get that certified for safety (with HF as backup, which you need anyway as far as I know) is going to be significant. The case for shipping is probably similar and even stronger.
lxgr 3mo ago
> How much market is there for people that just want low speed connectivity from the middle of nowhere? Militaries generally find this capability pretty relevant, among others, and they have deep pockets. They were the ones to bail out Iridium the first time around, after all.
- omcnoe 3mo ago
  It's competing with Starlink in that market, which is a much stronger product today.
  - asadotzler 3mo ago
    You don't always have to be the best. All you need is good enough long enough for the best to falter. See Anthropic's latest troubles.
snarf21 3mo ago
There is a huge market for people to connection while doing outdoor activities, including downloading maps, sharing current location, etc. It isn't just people who live in BFE looking for a downlink.
- NetMageSCW 3mo ago
  And that market is being covered by Starlink and AST SpaceMobile without requiring special equipment.
MikeNotThePope 3mo ago
Rocket Lab wants the radio spectrum, which gives them a global license in every country to talk directly to cell phones. Why the Satellite Race is No Longer About Satellites - https://youtube.com/shorts/hRxv4RggxLE https://youtube.com/shorts/hRxv4RggxLE

by ryandvm 3mo ago

ttul 3mo ago

It’s not about Iridium. It’s about Iridium’s customers and partnerships. RocketLab hopes to launch their own satellites presumably and then can sell significantly improved services to them, without having to build a customer base from scratch.

denotes 3mo ago

Sailors may be a small and dwindling community, but this is our core use case. When you are sailing offshore you need to download weather predictions so that you can chart your course to catch favorable winds. My experience with Iridium is that you open a targeted set of ports for the modem to feed your phone via, and then you don't have to think about it again. 100+ nautical miles offshore and it just works.

NetMageSCW 3mo ago
T-Mobile has weather available off-grid now on existing phones?
- lxgr 3mo ago
  Not offshore though, as they only have domestic spectrum.
levl289 3mo ago
How does starlink compare? Beginner sailor here, and I thought this was a solved problem, now.

kilroy123 3mo ago

You realize they have a new network of satellites, right? It works much better than the old version with the 90s tech. A lot of remote IOT devices use Iridium, as well as the US government or DoD.

lxgr 3mo ago
I think Iridium SBD, which is what a lot of IoT applications are based on, already worked with the old constellation, which is actually quite impressive given that it doesn't seem easy to retrofit that onto an in-space switched network.

m4rtink 3mo ago

AFAIK Iridium is part of some important airliner navigation systems and standards - while a niche, it can still be very lucrative business. and I would not be surprised if it was embedded like this into various other systems that are less cost sensitive.

cozzyd 3mo ago
yes, for example it's used on high altitude balloons.
lxgr 3mo ago
Yep, it's one of only two satellite communications systems certified for both GMDSS/SOLAS and aviation operation and safety (ATC) use cases, and the only global one at that (the other one being Inmarsat/Viasat, which does not work near the poles due to being GEO based). It took Iridium over a decade to get that certification; availability and political concerns are probably much larger in that segment than for e.g. home or passenger entertainment Internet use. In the medium and long term, I can see the high-throughput LEO players eat Iridium's lunch for aviation, though; small antenna size (and the lower drag that goes with it) used to be their main advantage over Ku and Ka band offerings, but now most airlines want passenger connectivity anyway, and once you have that, the pressure to just get that certified for safety (with HF as backup, which you need anyway as far as I know) is going to be significant. The case for shipping is probably similar and even stronger.

lxgr 3mo ago

> How much market is there for people that just want low speed connectivity from the middle of nowhere? Militaries generally find this capability pretty relevant, among others, and they have deep pockets. They were the ones to bail out Iridium the first time around, after all.

omcnoe 3mo ago
It's competing with Starlink in that market, which is a much stronger product today.
- asadotzler 3mo ago
  You don't always have to be the best. All you need is good enough long enough for the best to falter. See Anthropic's latest troubles.

snarf21 3mo ago

There is a huge market for people to connection while doing outdoor activities, including downloading maps, sharing current location, etc. It isn't just people who live in BFE looking for a downlink.

NetMageSCW 3mo ago
And that market is being covered by Starlink and AST SpaceMobile without requiring special equipment.

MikeNotThePope 3mo ago

Rocket Lab wants the radio spectrum, which gives them a global license in every country to talk directly to cell phones. Why the Satellite Race is No Longer About Satellites - https://youtube.com/shorts/hRxv4RggxLE https://youtube.com/shorts/hRxv4RggxLE