Satellite Development Kit

Iridium's Certus® 9704 transceiver offered global satellite connectivity that no terrestrial network can match. However, accessing it required specialized hardware expertise, significant development investment, and a tolerance for steep learning curves that most engineers and product teams simply don't have. The result was a capable platform that remained out of reach for the broader developer community, limiting adoption and leaving Iridium's ecosystem smaller than the technology deserved.

Iridium needed a development kit that could put the Certus® 9704 in the hands of engineers at any experience level; and included hardware that was intuitive enough for rapid prototyping, robust enough for field evaluation, and compatible with the tools developers already use. The platform had to introduce an entire ecosystem to satellite IoT without requiring them to become satellite hardware specialists first.

The Solution

Iridium selected Device Solutions to design the Iridium Certus 9704 Development Kit — the hardware platform that introduces Iridium's entire developer ecosystem to the Certus® 9704. Device Solutions has worked with Iridium since approximately 2013, and this engagement drew on that depth of platform knowledge to make a technically demanding transceiver accessible without sacrificing capability. Device Solutions designed the hardware across the full development scope:

1.) Custom Board Design Engineered for low-power operation and high durability, purpose-built to meet the demands of field evaluation and small-batch deployment.

2.) Arduino Ecosystem Compatibility Designed the hardware interface around Arduino's established development model, giving engineers immediate access to the tools, sensors, and accessories they already use, thus eliminating the need to build supporting infrastructure from scratch.

3.) Developer Experience

Structured the platform so that engineers at any experience level could move from unboxing to prototype without specialist satellite hardware knowledge.

4.) Documentation & Reference Materials

Produced the evaluation and prototyping support materials that enable rapid onboarding across Iridium's developer community.

The result was a kit that didn't just lower the barrier to entry, it actually removed it for most of the engineers Iridium needed to reach.

The Results

The Iridium Certus 9704 Development Kit brought global satellite connectivity within reach for engineers at every experience level - from proof-of-concept through small-batch deployment. Adoption across remote monitoring, asset tracking, and environmental sensing has moved faster than Iridium anticipated.

Garrett Chandler, Executive Director of Product Engineering at Iridium, described the outcome directly:

The Arduino compatibility that drove that result was Device Solutions' design. Device Solutions has delivered three generations of development kits and multi-board test solutions for Iridium over a relationship spanning more than a decade. Each generation has been built on the platform knowledge accumulated in the last.

The Summary

Technologies & Services

• Custom PCB Design

• Arduino Ecosystem Integration

• Embedded Hardware & RF Engineering

• Open-Source Software Development

• Prototyping & Low-Volume Manufacturing

• Continuous Integration & Test Tools

Recognition & Outcomes

• Market adoption exceeded Iridium's highest expectations (per Garrett Chandler, Executive Director of Product Engineering)

• Three generations of development kits and multi-board test solutions delivered

• Iridium relationship active since 2013

Arduino's blog about the Iridium/Device Solutions satellite IoT development kit: https://blog.arduino.cc/2025/07/21/dive-into-satellite-iot-with-the-new-arduino-compatible-iridium-certus-9704-development-kit/?queryID=undefined