Satellite communications provider EMS Technologies, Atlanta, Ga., made a number of announcements during this week’s ATA Management Conference and Exhibition in San Antonio.

EMS introduced the PDT-100 Application Partner Program to support companies that develop communications applications based on EMS’s PDT-100 mobile satellite transceiver. The PDT-100 (see photo), or Packet Data Terminal, provides two-way messaging and location information virtually anywhere in North and Central America. The MSAT satellite system and is currently used by a number of trucking mobile solutions providers. There are some 23 commercially launched applications operating on the PDT-100, from simple GPS applications to integrated management systems with two-way messaging and data gathering.
The partner program provides tools and support for developing, verifying and promoting a comprehensive range of third-party applications. The benefits of the PDT-100 Application Partner Program include certification, access to Software Development Kits and development tools, satellite network simulation software, PDT-100 hardware, technical engineering assistance, discounted lab platforms, and airtime tools.
The PDT-100 offers customers and value-added resellers the opportunity to provide continent-wide applications and communications solutions for the mobile user.
EMS’s Land Mobile Group based in Ottawa, Ont., Canada, announced that Crider Inc. will install EMS’s PDT-100 satellite transceiver on its fleet of 25 trucks. Crider packs chicken products for a number of food companies under national brand names. In addition, Crider packs private label products for super market chains and alternative grocery formats including club stores and dollar stores.
“As we transport our poultry we need to be in constant contact with the delivery trucks and the drivers,” said Ben Swilley, director of transportation of Crider Inc. “After careful consideration, we felt that EMS Technologies delivered the right solution at the right price.”
Finally, EMS announced a partnership with Teletouch Communications Inc. to introduce the the LifeGuard System, which protects lone workers, including remote utility personnel, law-enforcement officers and truck drivers.
The LifeGuard solution uses EMS’s PDT-100 satellite data terminal to send a distress call to a company dispatcher. It pinpoints the worker’s location and automatically provides vital information on the worker’s medical history, giving the dispatcher the necessary information for notifying emergency personnel.