Xantic, Iridium Become Partners

Xantic and Iridium Satellite LLC have announced the signing of a major agreement by which Xantic will offer Iridium's voice and data services through its worldwide network. The move complements Xantic's mobile satellite offering for customers requiring remote communications solutions. It will also strengthen Iridium's global distribution capabilities. "Iridium's mobile communications services and world-wide coverage complements our fixed satellite offerings," commented Xantic CEO Knut Reed. "We intend to make a selected number of our Value Added Services available over the Iridium network, making it a great new medium to serve our customers following the Content, Application and Transactions (CAT) strategy." Xantic serves customers worldwide in multiple markets, including maritime, peacekeeping and aid organisations, oil & gas, government and transportation. The company's extensive network of 29 offices and agents is strategically located across the globe, and is complemented by agreements with a range of resellers and distributors. "Xantic's focus on industrial market customers further extends Iridium's value proposition," said Gino Picasso, CEO of Iridium Satellite. "By adding our remote capabilities to its portfolio of services, Xantic can deliver full-scale communications systems to support a wide range of customer demands, including those of multinational organisations." Iridium Satellite LLC launched global voice services in March 2001 and added ubiquitous Internet connectivity in June that same year. Iridium delivers essential communications services to and from remote areas where other forms of communications are either unavailable or unreliable. The company recently launched five additional spare satellites to ensure the life span of the constellation, currently estimated to have at lease eight more years of operational life.