Apple’s GPS navigation skills are about to get even more coherent following the purchase of GPS start-up Coherent Navigation.

It's O3b vs Virgin vs SpaceX. But is there room on earth – or above it – for three separate Internet satellite systems? Probably not – who will succeed?

Listed Australian satellite communications company World Reach has announced that its wholly owned subsidiary Beam Communications has entered into a strategic product development initiative with global satellite carrier Iridium Communications.

Navman Wireless has released a new GPS fleet tracking unit, but the service is still available through Telstra.

O3b Networks - the company planning a global network of low earth orbit broadband satellites - is set to take on long time maritime communications market leader, Inmarsat, with a broadband service for ships that it claims will offer much higher bandwidths that presently available.

Iridium, the operator of a global network of low earth orbit communications satellites has introduced technology that turns its handheld satellite phone into a WiFi hotspot, enabling any WiFi enabled smartphone to connect to the Internet via the Iridium satellite network.

Handheld satphones really came into their own in the wake of Cyclone Yasi, with a new product from Inmarsat proving a viable alternative to those from dominant player Iridium. But which is best? That depends on which consultancy you believe.

Satellite service provider, Pivotel has won a multimillion dollar contract to provide Iridium satellite telephone services to the Northern Territory Government.

Frost and Sullivan has issued a report that compares the Iridium 9555 handheld satphone extremely favourably against the new Inmarsat IsatPhone Pro, without fessing up that Iridium commissioned the study. (Since being posted, this column has been updated with a comment from Frost & Sullivan at the end).

The NSW Ambulance service has taken 180 handheld Iridium satellite phones to provide communications facilities for ambulances in remote locations.

A new telco, Indigo Telecom, has entered the market to fill what it perceives to be a huge gap in delivering portable satellite phone and data communications services to rural Australians beyond the reach of terrestrial cellular networks.

Iridium Communications (Iridium) and Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) announced on June 16, 2010, that they will be joining forces so that SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket can provide launch servives for Iridium's NEXT satellite constellation.

Iridium Communications, operator of a network of 77 low earth orbit satellites that provide global mobile voice and data communications, has awarded Thales Alenia Space a $US1.8b contract for its second generation of satellites.