Photo: Via Satellite archive

Inmarsat is pursuing a new partnership with satellite Internet of Things (IoT) startup Hiber. Inmarsat will provide the satellite connectivity backbone on which it Hiber will continue to build Hiberband, its low-cost, low-power IoT, the companies announced Oct. 12.

Mike Carter, president of Inmarsat Enterprise told Via Satellite that Hiber will be an IoT ecosystem provider for Inmarsat Elera, the company’s plan for an upgraded L-band network for IoT, safety and mission critical connectivity. Hiber will continue using its own proprietary protocols that allow for ultra-low power and low-data consumption levels to connect to Inmarsat’s Elera network and power its IoT solutions.

“This deal is particularly significant because Inmarsat’s connectivity significantly boosts Hiber’s communications capabilities and positions them as a technology leader in terms of the service levels and technical capabilities they can now offer. It allows Hiber to gain years in satellite connectivity development and de-risk their technology stack without compromising their ultra-low power and low-cost IoT offerings,” he said.

The partnership brings together a player from the new world, Hiber, and a satellite operator with decades of heritage, Inmarsat. Carter believes Hiber is one of the most exciting IoT startups, and that the partnership will help cement Inmarsat’s position as a provider of advanced satellite connectivity to digital-native companies. He said it demonstrates Inmarsat’s commitment to delivering IoT through different channels, which provides more choice for customers from verticals like agriculture, electrical utilities, mining, oil and gas and transport and logistics.

“The more customer facing solutions we can enable through Elera, the more market share we can take. For the customer, this partnership, as well as others like it, creates more choice. The market opportunity is large, with the key driver being the customers choosing the right solution for their use case. With Elera IoT we are presenting the most versatile satellite IoT connectivity options, ranging from our own connectivity services, to the IoT ecosystem providers’ solutions, to our application and solution providers’ offerings,” Carter added.

This is now the start of a long-term relationship between the two companies. The two companies will look to jointly develop and commercialize services and products aimed at addressing the challenges of the IoT for customers in transport, logistics, agriculture, mining, and a number of other industries. Hiber will release more details around its commercial offerings in the future. The company currently offers Hilo for remote wellhead monitoring in the oil industry and Easypulse, for fleet monitoring or asset tracking in logistics and other industries.

“Essentially, Inmarsat is not only giving Hiber immediate access to a global market, we are also helping them to focus on developing the best rural, remote, and industrial IoT solutions for businesses in any industry that needs them. Inmarsat is trusted by organizations that grow, mine, extract, move, save, and inform to keep them connected across the global supply chain,” says Carter. “Our strategic relationship with Hiber is exciting as it will help create better, more powerful, reliable, and cost-effective IoT solutions for any industry with operations in rural or remote locations without access to dependable cellular or Wi-Fi connectivity.”