S3 Group ICs Drive New Iridium 9602 Satellite Data Transceiver

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--S3 Group, a provider of RF, Analog and Digital Integrated Circuit (IC) Design services, and Iridium Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: IRDM), the global mobile satellite service company, today announced that they partnered in IC design and delivery for Iridium’s recently-announced 9602 full duplex short-burst data (SBD) transceiver. The Iridium 9602 is a smaller, lower-cost next-generation SBD transceiver, and is expected to be commercially available in June 2010.

“S3 Group delivered a working IC design to us ahead of schedule”

S3 Group provided a full turnkey service to Iridium from feasibility study to the delivery of packaged tested parts. A thorough system analysis by S3 Group enabled a very high level of integration resulting in a two-chip transceiver chipset, providing a lower-cost solution compared to previously-used components. This approach entailed a complex system design which required a large team of S3 Group engineers with expertise in RF, analog and digital design as well as the company’s leading-edge mixed-signal IP portfolio.

The Iridium 9602 will serve as a data communications transceiver for a wide range of portable tracking and monitoring devices, leveraging Iridium’s global coverage and low-latency, two-way data links. Applications for the 9602 will include remote asset tracking and monitoring such as telemetry from unattended sensors, fleet management and tracking, enterprise logistics and supply chain visibility as well as personal two-way navigation and mapping devices.

This IC design, developed by S3 Group, has enabled Iridium to substantially reduce form factor, power consumption and cost as well as to expedite delivery of products to market. The IC design also allows Iridium’s value added manufacturers (VAMs) and resellers (VARs) greater flexibility in embedding the 9602 into their products.

"S3 Group delivered a working IC design to us ahead of schedule,” said David Schoen, chief technology officer and vice president, product development, Iridium. “Their engineering expertise and skilled program management experience ensured higher levels of cost savings than we anticipated and enabled us to get our 9602 to production and to market faster.”

Commenting on S3 Group’s success at Iridium, James Blair, Director of IC Design Services said, "This was a complex system design where we brought our turnkey services capabilities, our partners and our RF, analog and digital IC design skills, to bear. Once again we have proven that we can accelerate the time-to-market, reduce costs and increase flexibility for our customers’ products. Iridium’s 9602 satellite transceiver offers global, real-time service combined with the highest value in the industry. S3 Group is proud to have assisted Iridium on this system design from the drawing board right through to product delivery and we hope to support further engagements with Iridium.”

About S3 Group:

S3 Group is the Connected Consumer Technology Company, providing products, solutions and professional services to the Semiconductor, Digital TV and Telehealth industries. For IC designers and product managers, S3 Group delivers a complete turnkey specification-to-packaged-parts service; leveraging our RF, analog and digital design building blocks and utilizing our comprehensive portfolio of mixed-signal IP to deliver power-efficient single-chip systems. Through our focus on RF & wireless solutions, product cost reduction and low power design we deliver the most cost effective highly integrated solutions to our broad customer base. S3 Group’s mixed-signal IP includes a wide portfolio of high performance A/D and D/A converters, PLLs, Analog Front Ends (AFEs) and other miscellaneous circuits which have been silicon proven at a number of merchant foundries (TSMC, UMC, Chartered, IBM, Tower, SMIC).

Founded in 1986, S3 Group has design centers in Ireland (Dublin and Cork), Lisbon in Portugal, Wroclaw in Poland, Prague in the Czech Republic and San Jose in the USA, with sales offices and representatives globally. For further information please visit www.s3group.com/ic-design.

About Iridium Communications Inc.

Iridium Communications Inc. (www.iridium.com) is the only mobile satellite service (MSS) company offering coverage over the entire globe. The Iridium constellation of low-earth orbiting (LEO) cross-linked satellites provides critical voice and data services for areas not served by terrestrial communication networks. Iridium serves commercial markets through a worldwide network of distributors, and provides services to the U.S. Department of Defense and other U.S. and international government agencies. The Company's customers represent a broad spectrum of industry, including maritime, aeronautical, government/defense, public safety, utilities, oil/gas, mining, forestry, heavy equipment and transportation. Iridium has launched a major development program for its next-generation satellite constellation, Iridium NEXT. The company is headquartered in Bethesda, Md., U.S.A. and trades on the NASDAQ Global Market under the ticker symbols IRDM (common stock), IRDMW ($7.00 warrants), IRDMZ ($11.50 warrants) and IRDMU (units).

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