Six Reasons to Use the Stronger and More Reliable Iridium Push-to-Talk Service

With the Iridium® NEXT satellite constellation upgrade almost complete, the Iridium network continues to provide the best, most reliable coverage on the market. For Iridium Push-To-Talk (PTT), this means customers can push group communications beyond what any other network is able to offer. Iridium PTT already has a reputation for its functionality – in fact, in 2016 it earned the Top Emergency Response Innovation Award from the Mobile Satellite Users Association. Now with an improved network and major service updates, Iridium PTT services have grown stronger, faster, and more reliable than ever before.

Here’s a look at how Iridium PTT service has improved:

1. New Network: Iridium NEXT is the largest ‘tech refresh’ in space history. By replacing its existing satellites with more capable ones, Iridium is improving its overall performance and connectivity for its customers.
2. Higher Capacity: The Iridium NEXT satellites have higher capacity and therefore more channels are available for all services, including PTT. In areas of high congestion, this significantly reduces the risk of issues such as call-drop or call-fade.
3. Faster Call Connections: Iridium NEXT provides increased crosslink and feederlink capacity which supports significantly higher traffic loads and improves call connectivity speeds.
4. Improved Voice Quality: Reports from end users have confirmed that the Iridium NEXT constellation results in more consistent processing and transport of voice packets. This minimizes issues associated with slurring and distortion and improves the voice quality of the Iridium PTT service.
5. Firmware Upgrades: Iridium has worked on major firmware and service improvements for PTT, resulting in fewer dropped sessions and improved call reliability. These upgrades give you an even stronger lifeline than before.
6. Longer PTT Sessions: In October 2018, we expect to introduce a firmware update which will increase the amount of time a customer can have the floor on a PTT session from 20 to 40 seconds. This means that customers can talk longer, benefiting from clear and reliable communications regardless of where they are in the world.

Iridium PTT customers can easily configure their talkgroups and coverage areas through the Iridium PTT Command Center, a user-friendly online tool. Talkgroups are easily adjustable on the fly, and users have the option to make different talkgroups interoperable for when they need to coordinate with another group.

With seven out of eight Iridium NEXT launches complete, much of our network traffic is already being carried by our new satellites. Iridium plans to have the Iridium NEXT constellation complete by the end of 2018, bringing even stronger connections and even more reliable services than before. Through our constellation upgrade, our services continue to evolve, and our lines of products continue to grow.

Iridium will continue to innovate to allow customers to coordinate reliably without depending on nearby ground infrastructure. Learn more about the capabilities of Iridium PTT products and services at www.Iridium.com/PTT.