Iridium Communications announced the addition of Kyoritsu Radio Service Co., Ltd as an Iridium Certus^® service provider. Through this agreement, Kyoritsu Radio will also support the provisioning of Iridium Certus service by Furuno Electric Co., Ltd, expanding their portfolio of Iridium^® satellite communication services. The Iridium Certus service is ideal for cargo ships, tankers, fishing vessels, workboats, and other watercraft as a primary or VSAT companion satellite communications solution. Operating on the Iridium network, it features truly global coverage and offers the fastest L-band speeds in the industry.

Kyoritsu Radio Service is a leading provider of satellite communications services and has been an Iridium partner since 2016. Furuno, a global leader of maritime navigation and communications equipment, has been an Iridium partner since 2015. As a subsidiary of Furuno, Kyoritsu will now expand its Iridium portfolio of offerings by marketing Iridium Certus services with Furuno’s support and global sales network.

“Adding Iridium Certus services to our portfolio will give the Japanese maritime industry and our customers globally a superior choice for connectivity at sea in terms of L-band speed and coverage,” says Yuzuru Takayama, President, Kyoritsu Radio Service. “Iridium products and services continue to provide reliable connectivity for our customers in all the world’s oceans.”

“Furuno has been a strategic partner of Iridium for several years, and we are excited to add the Iridium Certus service to our portfolio of offerings for our maritime customers,” says Muneyuki Koike, Senior Managing Director, Furuno Electric. “We strive to offer the highest quality technology to our customers at all times, and the Iridium Certus service enables a new generation of L-band communications that provides industry leading incomparable coverage and speeds. We are proud to offer this service.”

Kyoritsu and Furuno will jointly pursue Iridium Certus adoption in various maritime sectors including commercial shipping, fishing, leisure, and government. Delivered through small form factor, cost-effective antennas and terminals, Iridium Certus has seen growing adoption by the maritime industry with thousands of terminals in service today.

“Since its inception, Iridium Certus has been setting a new standard for L-band connectivity at sea,” says Bryan Hartin, Executive Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Iridium. “We are excited that our partners Furuno and Kyoritsu are expanding their Iridium offerings and will enable more ships to navigate safely and stay connected no matter where they sail.”

Unique to the satellite industry, Iridium Certus is the only broadband service that provides truly global, weather-resilient coverage for on-the-move internet and high-quality voice access. As an L-band network, Iridium is also uniquely positioned to provide safety services, including those for the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS), which launched on Iridium in December 2020.