Aircraft Tracking

Tracking your airplane or helicopter is easy with the RockAIR. Designed for light to medium
aircraft, our Ground Control-manufactured device delivers carry-on, carry-off tracking and
two-way messaging for pilots.

Features include take-off and landing detection; hover and moving detection; chocks on and
off; alerts for excessive altitude increase or decrease (stall warning). We also partner with
companies like TracPlus who add additional data to provide an end-to-end solution.

Popular Tracking Devices for Pilots

RockAIR

A tracking and messaging device designed for use on the dashboard of light aircraft, rotorcraft, and land-based vehicles. It has built-in LTE Narrowband, which allows it to use terrestrial cellular networks when possible.

RockSTAR

The RockSTAR Two-Way Messenger is a truly global communication device and tracking system. It allows you to send and receive short messages from anywhere on Earth with a clear view of the sky. It works far beyond the reach of Wi-Fi and GSM networks.

RockBLOCK 9603

The smallest and lightest version in our RockBLOCK family, the RockBLOCK 9603 is targeted primarily at systems integrators and product developers where space inside your enclosure is at a premium.

“We’re absolutely delighted to bring the revolutionary capabilities and affordability of the RockAIR to the US firefighting market. With nearly ten years of global customer experience and insights in airborne firefighting built into the RockAIR, USFS’s approval of the RockAIR is a hugely satisfying validation of our technology.”

Chris Hinch CIO, Tracplus

Iridium SBD Coverage Map

The Iridium satellite constellation is in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) which presents several benefits for IoT applications. The main benefit is latency; as these satellites are much closer to Earth than satellites in geostationary orbit, the ping time is typically less than one second.

The Iridium satellite network is also ideal for mobile applications, as antennas are omni-directional, and do not need to be pointed; their data will be accepted by the passing satellite and then ‘handed off’ to the next satellite, delivering 100% seamless coverage.
Iridium’s global, low-latency SBD service provides the ideal solution for monitoring and updating status on everything from containers and trucks to planes and ships. With Iridium SBD, it’s possible to integrate mobile assets into an organization’s enterprise resource planning and logistics management using compact equipment and a single communication carrier. And, since it is connected to the only truly global mobile satellite communications network, it works anywhere on the planet, with no expensive roaming charges or multiple service agreements. From the North Pole to the South Pole, Iridium SBD delivers everywhere.

Find Out More About Iridium Coverage

Short Burst Data Service Plans and Pricing

For more information about our SBD Service Plans, please visit our dedicated Iridium SBD Pricing page.

Annual Plans

Pay-As-You-Go Plans - Line Rental

Pay-As-You-Go Plans - Running Costs

Satellite airtime isn’t cheap, and we pride ourselves on delivering great value for our customers. So, rather than having a small number of plans that will either see you rack up expensive overage fees, or pay for data you don’t use, we tailor our plans to every customer. These are example plans only; let us know what your data requirements are and we’ll make a plan that suits you.

Also, please note that our annual plans are available for any SBD device; our Pay-As-You-Go plans are exclusive to Ground Control manufactured devices.

Example Plan:

Low Usage

Mid Usage

High Usage

Price Per Month (USD):

$15.00

$35.00

$140.00

Inclusive Data:

5,000 bytes

25,000 bytes

250,000 bytes

Overage Rate:

$3.00 per 1,000 bytes

$1.60 per 1,000 bytes

$0.75 per 1,000 bytes

Activation Fee:

$25.00

$30.00

$25.00

SKU:

GC-SBD-5KB-1

GC-SBD-25KB-1

GC-SBD-250KB-1

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.

Device:

RockBLOCK 9602, 9603, Plus

RockSTAR

RockFLEET, RockAIR

Price Per Month (USD):

$17.00

$23.00

Hybrid Satellite / Cellular Service:

n/a

+ $13.00 per month

Line rental allows the SBD device to exchange information with the Iridium satellite network. Credits are used each time you transmit. 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).

Be sure to check out our SBD Pricing page for full details of our Pay-As-You-Go service plans.

Bundle:

50 Credits

100 Credits

1,000 Credits

10,000 Credits

Per Credit (USD):

$0.20

$0.19

$0.12

$0.08

Bundle Price (USD):

$10.00

$19.00

$124.00

$825.00

Benefits of Iridium Short Burst Data Service

We're SBD experts, having designed and manufactured IoT and tracking devices leveraging this service for well over a decade. If your data volumes are low, and you can optimize your transmissions, this is the most cost-effective way to transmit your data.

Any Questions? We're Here to Help

Flexible Connectivity Solutions

Our SBD products are ideal for remote weather stations, ocean drifters and buoys, monitoring of oil pipelines, controlling and reporting on equipment in the middle of nowhere. For basic telemetry and command/control applications where mobile signals don’t go – they’re ideal.

Truly Global Coverage + Low Latency

Iridium has 66 satellites in orbit around the Earth, allowing coverage anywhere on Earth 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. No other satellite network has truly global coverage. Messages sent via Iridium take just seconds to reach you, via e-mail or directly to your web-service.

Cloudloop Platform and Applications

All our devices are provided with access to our web-based monitoring and management system, Cloudloop. which simplifies your data, device and subscription management. If you have your own management system, and want to integrate data from our products, that's OK.

Customized Airtime Service Plans

Satellite airtime is more expensive than cellular - most of the time! - but we make it affordable. We have great prices, and we also tailor all of our airtime plans to our customers' requirements, so you only pay for the data you use, and avoid expensive overage fees.