Disaster-prone Indonesia buys 500 Iridium radio devices for field staff

15, Apr. 2021

The Indonesian government has adopted the Icom IC-SAT100 PTT radio, offering real-time one-to-many communications over the Iridium network. (Photo courtesy of Iridium)

SINGAPORE,NNA - The Indonesian government has adopted leading-edge Iridium push-to-talk (PTT) radio devices to boost emergency preparedness while supporting the communication efforts of its field personnel working in the country's diverse island landscapes.

By deploying 500 Iridium handsets, the government now has a reliable "grab-and-go" real-time satellite-supported communications solution for staff on the move, said US-based Iridium Communications Inc. in a press release.

As the largest archipelago in the world, disaster-prone Indonesia is made up of five major islands and more than 17,500 smaller islands, of which about 6,000 are inhabited.


However, there is a need for communications resiliency across all of Indonesia, especially during and after natural disasters, as the country is vulnerable to frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

During emergencies, the government has to send personnel on rescue missions to remote places that may have damaged or unreliable connectivity.

Iridium PTT is helping the country to overcome such challenges, by providing an easily deployed, cost-effective solution that can be used on land, at sea or in the air.

Bryan Hartin, Iridium's executive vice president of sales and marketing, said, "In Indonesia's remote locations, where terrestrial networks are limited or non-existent, and in disaster-affected areas where terrestrial networks are damaged, the government can rely on the Iridium network to stay connected."

Iridium service provider PT Amalgam Indocorpora supported the implementation by providing the government with customized Icom IC-SAT100 PTT devices.

With communication at the push of a button and Iridium's global coverage, the devices help ensure government personnel remain connected with one another across islands over the Iridium network.

The IC-SAT100 is a compact, user-friendly radio with military-grade sturdiness and a high audio speaker to ensure communications clarity, even in a noisy environment.

The highly secure service with end-to-end encryption makes it an ideal option for militaries and government organizations in need of global group communications capabilities, said Iridium.

"Users will know that regardless of where in the world they need to deploy personnel and assets, they will remain within coverage," it said.

PT Amalgam Indocorpora also supports customers' connectivity needs for businesses and government bodies with Iridium Certus broadband and IoT solutions for tracking personnel and assets, command and control and situational awareness.

Launched in 2019, Iridium Certus is a global broadband service that provides weather-resilient coverage for on-the-move internet and high-quality voice access. As the satellite IoT market continues to grow, Iridium's suite of low-power IoT devices also expands to serve industries ranging from maritime and aviation to government units and land mobile.

In 2019, Iridium completed a generational upgrade of its satellite network. It is headquartered in Virginia, U.S.A., and its common stock trades on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the ticker symbol IRDM.

The global push to talk (PTT) market size is expected to reach $41 billion by 2025, according to Adroit Market Research. The proliferation of ultra-rugged smartphones, increasing demand for PTT over Push To Cellular (PoC), the transition of Land Mobile Radio Systems from analog to digital, along with the necessity of driver safety are driving the growth of PTT market in the past few years, it said.