Tuesday, March 17, 2015

IMSO Iridium GMDSS evaluation begins

GMDSS Operational Concept
IMSO Starts the Evaluation of Iridium

The International Mobile Satellite Organisation (IMSO) has begun the formal evaluation process of Iridium as a Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) provider.
In November 2014, the IMO’s Marine Safety Committee (MSC) agreed that the IMSO should put together a panel of experts to produce a technical and operational assessment of Iridium, as it seeks to join Inmarsat as a provider of GMDSS services.
The IMSO has formalised an agreement with Iridium to perform the evaluation, with the IMSO’s director general Captain Esteban Pacha having recently reported progress back to the IMO.
The group of experts put together by the IMSO will examine various aspects of Iridium’s infrastructure, such as earth stations, space segment, mobile terminals, terrestrial networks, GMDSS and search and rescue communications.
Captain Pacha is then expected to deliver the group’s report at the next session of the IMO Subcommittee on Navigation, Communications and Search and Rescue (NCSR-3), which will take place in 2016

Iridium Next
Iridium and the GMDSS
IMSO's job is to ensure that any new maritime satellite provider provides distress and safety services in accordance with Resolution A.1001(25).  This Resolution sets out requirements regarding pre-emption, priority and routing of distress alerts.
GMDSS satellite systems are required to prioritise calls such that any distress alert receives immediate priority on the system.  
The great advantage of Iridium over Inmarsat is that Iridium offers complete coverage of the polar regions using low earth orbiting satellites.

IMO | NCSR 1st Session

Recognition of Iridium as GMDSS service provider considered 

Following consideration of information presented by the United States for the recognition of the satellite communications company Iridium as a Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) mobile satellite service provider, the Sub-Committee agreed to invite the MSC to consider and decide on which independent body should produce a technical and operational assessment of the information and provide a report to the NCSR Sub-Committee for evaluation.  Following receipt and evaluation of the assessment, the Sub-Committee would then make a recommendation to the MSC as to the adoption of an MSC resolution recognizing the new maritime mobile satellite services provider.

GMDSS in 2015   Iridium

After puzzling delays at the last IMO nav and comms (NCSR) meeting, integration of the Iridium satellite system into the GMDSS has finally been given the go-ahead by IMO's Maritime Safety Committee.  The International Mobile Satellite Organisation (IMSO) will now conduct a technical evaluation of Iridium's proposal.

Given the IMO meeting cycle, it will be at least 12 months (probably more) before approval is given.  However, Iridium will be a game-changer for the GMDSS - both in terms of ship equipment and the overall architecture of marine communications. 

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