AST 1st to Activate Iridium Certus for Commercial Use

Oceanwide Expeditions’ Rembrandt Van Rijn vessel. Photo: Oceanwide Expeditions

Global satellite solutions company the AST Group (AST) undertook the first commercial installation of Iridium Certus with its long-term partner Alphatron, onboard Oceanwide Expeditions‘ Rembrandt Van Rijn vessel.

The vessel, originally built as a herring lugger in the last century, is now used for cruise expeditions in the polar regions. During a recent upgrade of communications, Iridium Certus was chosen to offer faster speeds and reliable coverage in remote polar regions.

“We are proud to be part of the world’s first commercial Certus installation with our valued customer Oceanwide Marine Services,” said Alphatron Marine Business Unit Manager ITAV & Communication Dennis Winterswijk. “Certus is delivered to the vessel via a Cobham 4300 terminal and provides guests onboard the possibility to share their Arctic cruise experience with friends and family. The service has been running smoothly since installation and has resulted in a full roll-out of Iridium Certus on all vessels in their fleet.’