PeopleNet has partnered with Iridium to offer satellite communications as an option alongside its wireless network. The partnership means that PeopleNet now offers truly universal coverage to fleet customers, even those operating in the most remote corners of the continent.
Iridium satellite communications, through PeopleNet, will be available on a dual-mode basis on installed vehicles. PeopleNet's onboard system will communicate over its wireless network where provided, but switch to Iridium mobile satellite services where it is not. The system will always choose the least-cost option, and the change will be seamless, automatic, and imperceptible to the driver.
Fleet managers will be able to select what kinds of data can or cannot be transmitted by satellite. Location reports and dispatch-related messages might be allowed while training videos and personal e-mail could be held, for example. Held content would be delivered when trucks return to wireless coverage. The Iridium option can be deployed across a fleet or installed on individual units within a PeopleNet fleet.
The Iridium constellation consists of 66 low-earth orbiting (LEO), cross-linked satellites operating as a fully meshed network and supported by multiple in-orbit spares. Iridium provides data communications service that does not suffer from the latency of other LEO satellite providers. Latency describes the lag time between the time a message is sent at one end and the time it is received at the other.