Iridium Gears Up For 300% Increase In Alaska-Based Traffic This Summer

With the approach of the short Alaskan summer, Iridium Satellite expects traffic on its mobile satellite communications network to surge 300 percent over the next few months. Over the last several years, Iridium has averaged a 40 percent growth rate annually in Alaska-based traffic.

With the summer season, outdoor enthusiasts of all sorts are spreading out into the state’s vast open spaces beyond the reach of telephone landlines and cellular networks. Iridium, the primary supplier of satellite communication service in Alaska, is gearing up to meet the demand. The company is working with its service providers and dealers so they are well stocked with satellite phones, data devices and accessories for sale or rent. In addition, Iridium service providers are introducing flexible service plans tailored to the state’s unique requirements.

“This year, we are offering flexible prepaid plans especially designed for the Alaskan user who may only need to use Iridium satellite communications services this part of the year,” said Greg Ewert, executive vice president, Iridium Satellite.

Iridium’s network architecture, with 66 cross-linked satellites in low-earth orbits intersecting over the poles, provides truly global coverage. It is the only mobile satellite service offering coverage over the entire state of Alaska, including the Aleutians and surrounding waters, and even the far northern regions above the Arctic Circle.

“This means you can use an Iridium satellite phone or data device wherever you go,” said Ewert. “Our growth in Alaskan traffic includes Iridium becoming integrated into the state’s telecommunications infrastructure, and providing voice and data links for business and government as well as private citizens. Today, Iridium is being used daily by fishing fleets out of Dutch Harbor, oil companies operating in the state’s interior, bush pilots flying to remote locations throughout the state and guide services, for example.”

“As a guide in the Alaskan bush, we’ve been using Iridium, provided by service provider WCC, for years,” said Scott Mileur, operator of Mileur’s Guide Service, Palmer, Alaska. “We replaced our radio service with Iridium because radio became unavailable to us every time the sun rose. Iridium is critical emergency communications tool for us. The portability and convenience of Iridium phones makes them valuable to us and to our customers, who are often in very remote parts of the state.”

While voice telephony still accounts for a large portion of Iridium traffic in Alaska, the company reports that the fastest growing segment of its business in general is data communications. The Iridium data service is ideal for applications such as asset tracking and remote telemetry. For instance, the U.S. Department of the Interior has installed Iridium terminals on its 28 aircraft in Alaska for automatic position reporting. In addition, a major oil company has fitted Iridium tracking and monitoring devices throughout its fleet of vehicles operating in remote regions of Alaska.

“We recognize that a large number of Alaskans depend on Iridium as a matter of public safety in their work, travel and day-to-day activities, and we view our satellite communication service in Alaska as a vital public utility,” said Ewert. “However, while the summer season is important, our commitment to the Alaskan market is year-round. Due to Alaska’s unique geography, Iridium is, in some cases, the only available communication link for users in many parts of the nation’s largest state.”

Iridium also has just completed construction of a new Telemetry, Tracking And Command/Control (TTAC) site in Fairbanks, in a move to add another layer of robustness and redundancy to its satellite network. Alaska is the logical location for the ground station because of the physical configuration of the Iridium network. Alaska-based employees are managing the site.

“Alaska offers a pool of human and technological resources, many affiliated with local universities and businesses,” Ewert said. “Couple that with Alaska’s modern infrastructure, and top-notch telecommunications and energy resources. The state also has been ideal to work with from an economic and regulatory standpoint.”

The Fairbanks ground station will provide additional visibility and access to Iridium’s satellite constellation. It will add to the company’s command and control capabilities and functionality, particularly for government users. The company also will use the ground station for remote access to Iridium satellites from the company’s existing gateways. If space-to-ground communications is ever interrupted at an existing Iridium site, the Alaska ground station will allow access to the constellation without interfering with normal traffic activity. This adds yet another layer of important reliability for the Iridium network and for customers. The Alaska ground station will be Iridium’s fourth TTAC site.

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