GMDSS Radio Survey Blog
Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) is a worldwide system that provides critical communication in emergency situations. The strictest selection is carried out for all service providers for this system, including satellite ones. Numerous assessments and checks aim to confirm that satellite services are provided at an appropriate high level.
For many years, the only provider of satellite GMDSS services was Inmarsat. In 2020, its monopoly was broken up - Iridium was successfully approved by the IMO. In the near future, there may be even more players in this field: in 2018, the Chinese BeiDou applied for recognition as a GMDSS service provider. If the assessment process is successful, BeiDou will become the third provider of satellite services for GMDSS, along with Inmarsat and Iridium.
