Iridium working on anti-piracy satphone solution

A key element of using a “citadel” to protect crews against pirates is to provide a reliable communication link that the crew can use from inside the fortified space to inform patrolling naval forces that they are under attack.

This is more difficult than it might at first appear. Once on a vessel, pirates  can quickly disconnect the ship’s primary satellite and radio antennas.

There needs to be a separate dedicated, secure satellite phone line to the citadel with a concealed installation above decks. To that end, Iridium, the global provider of mobile satellite communication services, is working with its service partners to develop and deploy satellite phone solutions specifically designed for this application.

March 3, 2011