Ipswich, UK. October 24, 2012 — UK-based Applied Satellite Technology Ltd. (AST) and Active Web Solutions Ltd. (AWS) have joined forces to deliver a global satellite-based M2M platform, AST iX.
AST and AWS both have extensive experience within the satellite industry and saw a specific and unique gap in the growing machine-to-machine (M2M) market for satellite messaging.
The new AST iX platform enables organisations to monitor and control remote equipment anywhere on the planet and at the touch of a button, without human interaction. AST iX is said by the companies to be at the forefront of this modern market sector, offering new capabilities to established and developing areas, emerging countries and remote sites, where there may be limited or unreliable communication infrastructure available.
Existing GSM mobile networks can only reach a small percentage of the Earth’s surface. Low cost satellite data has global coverage, allowing it to reach all locations including the polar regions.
The low cost M2M platform will enable applications such as; utility control, environmental monitoring, and direct SCADA connections via satellite. It also extends the reach of the ‘Internet of Things’ to previously inaccessible areas. For example, the platform is currently being used in the monitoring of water distribution networks in Namibia where it is proving to be a cost-effective, reliable solution.
“We are excited to be providing global end-to-end M2M solutions, using leading edge technologies,” said Gregory Darling, managing director at AST.
Photograph: (from left to right) Jurgens Els, AST M2M manager; Gregory Darling, managing director, AST; Richard Prodger, technical director, AWS; and Rob Blackwell, R&D director, AWS.