Iridium Short Burst Data Rates
Iridium SBD Pricing
Using a mesh network of 66 satellites in Low Earth Orbit, the SBD service delivers real-time data anywhere in the world, including the polar regions.
Tailored SBD Contracts
Ground Control offers Iridium SBD airtime both as a pay-as-you-go plan, and as an annual contract for companies planning a larger deployment of devices. Our annual contracts are compatible with all Iridium SBD devices. We offer low-cost service plans, access to our web-based interface, Cloudloop, and a fully featured API.
We’ve provided a small number of sample plans here, and encourage you to get in touch to get a quote for your specific airtime requirements.
For all our annual plans:
- Contract term is 12 months unless specified
- Each message has a minimum billable size of 10 bytes
- Mailbox checks (Mobile Originated messages, with zero user bytes of data) are charged at $0.02
*If you choose a pooled plan, then all of your devices on this plan share a pool of data. E.g. if you have 10 devices on a 12KB plan, that gives you a total pool of 120 KB to use per month between all of your devices, before you are charged any overage fees.
No annual contract required
Pay-as-you-go SBD plans
Our pay-as-you-go plans offer great flexibility for development purposes, and are available for the RockBLOCK 9602 and RockBLOCK 9603 plug-and-play satellite transceivers, the RockSTAR personal tracking device, RockFLEET vehicle tracking device, and the RockAIR aircraft tracking device.
Line rental allows the SBD device to exchange information with the Iridium satellite network. Credits are used each time you transmit.
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For all our PAYG plans:
- One credit is used per 50 bytes (or part thereof) of message sent or received
- One credit is also used if you check your mailbox and there are no messages waiting (a mailbox check)
- Line rental is paid in blocks of one month
- You only pay for months in which you wish to use the device
- No annual contract is required
- Credits only expire if you don’t use your account at all for 12 months
- Credits are pooled between all of the devices on your account.
Line Rental
Running Costs
Device:
RockBLOCK 9602, 9603, Plus
RockSTAR
RockFLEET
RockAIR
Pricing*:
$17.00 per month
$23.00 per month
$23.00 per month
$23.00 per month
Basic Management System:
✔
n/a
n/a
n/a
CORE Management System:
$6 upgrade
✔
✔
✔
Hybrid Satellite / Cellular Service:
n/a
n/a
+ $13 per month
+ $13 per month
Bundle:
50 Credits
100 Credits
500 Credits
1,000 Credits
5,000 Credits
10,000 Credits
50,000 Credits
Per Credit:
$0.20
$0.19
$0.14
$0.12
$0.10
$0.08
$0.04
Bundle Price:
$10.00
$19.00
$69.00
$124.00
$482.00
$825.00
$2,188.00
Iridium Short Burst Data Coverage
While there are plenty of new entrants into the satellite IoT market, Iridium was the first to launch a Low Earth Orbit (LEO), cross-linked satellite constellation, the model subsequently adopted by pretty much every newcomer. In 2019, Iridium completed the task of replacing all of their satellites (without disrupting their service), so while it’s old, it’s also brand new.
The satellite IoT devices Ground Control manufactures use Iridium because it’s established, reliable, secure, and professional. LEO comes with several advantages over geo-stationary satellites: the latency is less than one second (compared to c. two seconds), and because there are multiple satellites overhead at any given time, there’s no need to point the antenna. This makes Iridium’s service ideal if your asset is in mountains or forests, or on the move.
Iridium Coverage Map – Real Time Tracking
Why buy SBD airtime from Ground Control?
Tailored airtime plans that save you money
Most airtime plans are out of the box - and if your usage falls at the bottom end of a price bracket, you're paying more than you need to. At Ground Control, we tailor our pricing plans to your specific needs, so you never pay more than you need to.
Regular usage reviews to manage costs
Once you're with Ground Control, we'll proactively review your usage to make sure that you remain on the right plan for your requirements. This helps to ensure that you don't end up paying expensive overage costs for going out-of-plan.
Data pooling to reduce overage fees
Data pooling allows you to share data between your connected devices, significantly reducing the risk of incurring overage costs. With Cloudloop, you can see how much each device is using, and how much data remains in your current billing period.
Cloudloop to gain total control over your data
Cloudloop is our API-first, subscription, device and data management platform. Whether you log in online or integrate with your own applications, it will provide you with unparalleled insight and total control over your data usage.
100% pole to pole coverage
Iridium has 66 satellites in orbit, allowing coverage anywhere, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. No other satellite network has truly global pole-to-pole coverage. Messages take just seconds to reach you, via email or directly to your web service.
Devices to suit your needs
Ground Control offers a range of Short Burst Data Devices to suit your needs. Whether you’re on land, sea or air, transmitting tracking and IoT data from remote locations or monitoring ocean drift patterns with data buoys, we have what you need.
Already have SBD airtime and want to switch?
With Ground Control, you’ll get access to competitive pricing, flexible service plans, data pooling, and our powerful data management platform, Cloudloop. Switching to Ground Control is easy.
1. We need to know the IMEIs of the devices you have
2. We’ll swap them on to our Cloudloop platform
3. You simply deactivate your previous contact.
More About Switching
SBD device comparison chart
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Price (USD):
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$302.00
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$302.00
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From $405.00
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$492.00
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From $971.00
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$1,795.00
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$750.00
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Size:
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2.99 x 2.03 x 0.75" (76.0 x 51.5 x 19.0 mm)
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1.77 x 1.77 x 0.59" (45.0 x 45.0 x 15.0 mm)
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∅ 5.4 x 1.57" (137 x 40 mm)
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5.12 x 3.15 x 1.9" (130 x 80 x 30 mm)
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∅ 5.4 x 1.57" (137 x 40 mm)
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4.68 x 3.93 x 0.98" (119 x 100 x 25 mm)
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5.7 x 2.9 x 1.4" (146 x 76 x 36 mm)
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Weight:
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0.14 lbs (63 grams)
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0.08 lbs (36 grams)
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0.77 lbs (350 grams)
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0.7 Kgs (320 grams)
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0.86 lbs (390 grams)
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0.46 lbs (210 grams)
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0.67" (305 grams)
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Power:
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5v DC
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5v DC
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9-30v DC
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9-30v DC
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9-30v DC | Internal battery
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9-30v DC | Internal battery | USB rechargeable
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Internal battery | USB rechargeable
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Antennae:
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Onboard or SMA
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Onboard or SMA
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Built-in
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Built-in
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Build-in GNSS & Iridium (& GSM option)
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Build-in GNSS & Iridium (& GSM option)
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Built-in GNSS & Iridium
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Dual Mode Iridium / GSM:
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No
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No
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No
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No
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Yes
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Yes
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No
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M2M via serial (UART)
Ringalert
Network availability
Sleep (low power)
Option for built-on antenna or SMA for external antenna use
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M2M via serial (UART)
Ringalert
Network availability
Sleep (low power)
Option for built-on antenna or SMA for external antenna use
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M2M via serial (UART)
Ringalert
Network availability
Sleep (low power)
Option to fit with USB
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M2M via serial RS-232
Ringalert
Network availability
Sleep (low power)
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Battery life: 15 min TX for 10 days
Autonomous tracking
Two-way messaging
iOS and Android app
M2M via RS-232 | RS-485 | BLE API
Switch inputs / alerts
Over the air config
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Battery life: 15 min TX for 10 days
Autonomous tracking
Two-way messaging
iOS and Android app
M2M via RS-232 | BLE API
Switch inputs / alerts
On-dash keypad
Over the air config
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Battery life: 15 min TX for 45 days
Autonomous tracking
Two-way messaging
iOS and Android app
M2M via BLE API
Keypad / screen
Over the air config
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