Mobile Wireless News

Iridium Communications Inc. (IRDM) and maritime navigation and communications equipment leader FURUNO ELECTRIC CO., LTD. announced a strategic partnership in which Furuno will be marketing Iridium satellite services and products initially in Japan. As part of this agreement, Furuno will be developing a new part of its portfolio of satellite communications service with Iridium. That may include the Iridium Pilot antennas, powered by the Iridium OpenPort broadband service, providing the industry's only pole-to-pole mobile wireless coverage for ships at sea; Iridium GO!, the world's first truly global online smartphone access device; weather resistant Iridium Extreme handset; and the Iridium Short Burst Data (SBD) service.

General Dynamics C4 Systems - built Warfighter Information Network - Tactical (WIN-T) Increment 2 Soldier Network Extension (SNE) continues evolving with new capabilities based on soldier feedback and mission-centered innovation. In April, soldiers with the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division were assigned to an observation point during the Afghan elections. The soldiers drove a SNE to their mission location near a polling place and used the SNE as a hotspot to connect their laptop computers, radios and other equipment to the tactical network for voice, chat and email communications, including situational awareness information, directly from their area of operation.

SISCO's A-PASS® 6 Wireless Mobile Life Safety & Security Access Control System to be installed on 'Royal Princess'. The Royal Princess is the first of two 1082 ft, 141,000-ton prototypes joining the next generation of the Princess fleet in June 2013. The A-PASS® 6 system is comprised of multiple software modules and mobile wireless hand held readers that handle critical tasks relating to passenger and crew safety, security and accountability. According to the manufacturer, passenger boarding and de-boarding is fast, accurate and secure with the A-PASS® 6 Mobile Guard Station module.

Globe Tracker International (GTI), a company in global  trade data sharing, autonomous asset tracking and monitoring and related data analytics, announced its partnership with Xmetra OU, a supplier of solutions for remote detection and tracking of leakages of Hazardous Materials during transportation and storage. The companies will deliver integrated, real time wireless detection, tracking, alarm condition reporting and remote management of intermodal containers (tankers) used for high risk materials globally.

By early 2008, all ships in Singapore can have access to mobile wireless broadband, allowing real-time and data-intensive communications between the ships and their customers and business partners. Thanks to WISEPORT (WIreless-broadband-access for SEaPort), activities that could only be done onshore previously can now be achieved offshore as well, from regulatory filings, to broadband communications, to real-time access to navigational data. WISEPORT is one of the initial projects under theInfocomm@SeaPort program, which aims to provide a mobile wireless broadband network within 15km from Singapore’s southern coastline. WISEPORT will provide a low-cost, high-bandwidth and secure access.

The Executive Control Board of the National Shipbuilding Research Program (NSRP) has selected 11 new Ship Production Panel projects, totaling approximately $756,000, designed to reduce the costs of Navy shipbuilding and ship repair. These relatively short, low cost projects were selected to complement portfolios of larger R&D projects funded through NSRP in responding to industry-consensus priorities and the Navy customer’s research areas of greatest interest. (Business Process Technologies Panel): U.S. commercial shipbuilding is important to maintain and modernize the industrial base for both new construction and repair of military ships and craft. The United States builds less than one percent of ships worldwide.