AAC Clyde Space AB has entered a Memorandum of Understanding to cooperate with ORBCOMM and Saab to develop the next generation of global maritime communication services based on a VHF Data Exchange System (VDES). The parties, collaborating under a new brand named AOS, aim both for services directed to end customers as well as for safety of navigation services. The goal of the consortium is to create a global maritime communication network enabling ship-to-ship and ship-to-shore communication everywhere on the globe.

The cooperation shall include both terrestrial and space-based demonstrations of selected applications, to help fine tune the joint VDES efforts. Long term, the parties intend to create a global VDES communication network with low latency and a high, two-way bandwidth for ship-to-ship and ship-to-shore communication everywhere on the globe. In August 2020, AAC Group, Saab and ORBCOMM announced the development of a space-based VDES system, to which AAC will deliver a 3U demonstration satellite planned to launch in the second half of 2022.

By adding space-based capability to VDES, the communication system's range increases from the shoreline to anywhere in the ocean, converting what is currently a predominantly coastal system into a global maritime system. With up to 32 times more bandwidth than the current, widely used Automatic Identification System (AIS) communication, VDES can be integrated with e-navigation systems, enabling savings in fuel and emissions of up to 25%, aiding navigation, and increasing safety. The bandwidth also creates opportunities for a wide range of other services, such as delivery of weather data, messaging, etc.