[Satellite TODAY 04-29-11] Security tracking specialist Track24 launched a global tracking and messaging system for individuals and small businesses, which utilizes the Iridium satellite network and Track24’s mapping software to provide global tracking and two-way text messaging capabilities, the company announced April 27.
    Track24 said the product, named Solo, was developed following the success of its enterprise and defense solutions to aid location-based communication and emergency management for employees and troops in unstable or hostile regions.
    "Recent events in Libya and Japan illustrate the value of instant communication, particularly the ability to locate an individual and for them to alert you if they are in trouble. In these situations, the mobile phone GSM network is often insufficient, whether through failure, or because users find themselves out of signal range – it’s estimated that up to 85 percent of the globe does not have GSM coverage. The only way critical communication can then be achieved is through a reliable satellite network," Track24 CEO Tim Grant said in a statement.