Iridium: Tesacom Partnership Covers All South America

US satellite mobile firm Iridium Satellite confirmed that its recently announced partnership with regional satellite services provider Tesacom covers South America as a whole.

Iridium recently named Tesacom as its partner for marketing the service in Brazil, but a release this week confirms that the partnership includes Tesacom's offices in Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay.

Until now Iridium has depended on global satellite services firm Stratos Global for marketing around the world, and Stratos recommended the inclusion of Tesacom for more efficient operations in South America.

According to the statement, Iridium voice and circuit switched data traffic originating in South America has grown by 25% over the last year.

Tesacom markets satellite services on behalf of satellite fleet operators such as California-based GlobalStar, also a satellite mobile telephony provider, and Norway's Inmarsat, which specializes in global internet access services such as Bgan and Rbgan.

Iridium Satellite operates a fleet of 66 satellites that provide voice and data solutions with complete coverage of the earth. The satellites are scheduled to cease operations in 2014 and Iridium expects to start replacing them in 2013, at an estimated cost of US$2.5bn.

Iridium divides its business lines into voice services for the maritime sector, aviation and government (particularly military), and provision of data services such as telemetry and asset tracking.

Data services are Iridium's fastest growing revenue stream, increasing roughly 400% in 1H07, compared to the same period in 2006. Iridium offers standard data transfer at 2.4Kbps, as well as a software compression package that converts the rate to 10Kbps.

Typical clients also come from the oil and gas, utilities, agriculture, emergency communications, mining and transport sectors.

Posted to the site on 29th October 2007