Artist’s rendering of a Globalstar satellite. Photo: Globalstar

[Via Satellite 08-31-2016] Carmanah, a Canada-based producer of energy-optimized LED solutions for infrastructure, has signed a far-reaching agreement with Globalstar to collaborate on the design and manufacture of new solar-powered M2M satellite solutions as well as use of the operator’s satellite constellation for remote connectivity for all strategic Carmanah products. As part of the multi-year supply agreement, Carmanah will design, develop, and supply the next generation of Globalstar devices incorporating solar power charging capabilities.

“Many of our customers are interested in broadening the data capture and increasing the frequency of data transmissions from their mobile assets. When available, our new solar powered devices will support larger and more frequent data transmission capability and, most importantly, have a much longer field life than our current devices” said Dave Kagan, president and COO of Globalstar.

The two companies have already begun collaborating, and the first products are expected to be ready for market in mid-2017.

The agreement is also the next step in Carmanah’s Internet of Things (IoT) strategy, employing Globalstar’s Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite network to provide remote monitoring to each Carmanah LED infrastructure product moving forward. Carmanah intends to equip all of its strategic products with this capability over the next three years.