Satellite comms company Beam Communications (ASX:BCC) has inked a distribution partnership with online heavyweight Kogan.com (ASX:KGN)>

The company said its ZOLEO remote communications device will now be sold through the Kogan marketplace.

News of Beam’s latest distribution saw its shares climb 10 per cent to 30c in morning trade, after hitting 2020 highs above 35c in October.

Beam, meet Kogan

Beam said the partnership with Kogan will provide it with a “significant sales channel ahead of the important Christmas shopping season”.

The company’s ZOLEO product is a handheld device that uses satellite technology to give users messaging capabilities on their phones when outside of network range.

Beam has found some success offshore this year, particularly the outdoor market in Canada where its filled a number of sales orders via its joint venture partnership with Canada-based Roadpost Inc.

Beam highlighted Kogan’s footprint in the domestic market, where it serves 2.2m monthly active customers.

Kogan itself has hitched a ride to the post-Covid ecommerce boom, with shares in the company climbing from around $4 in March to new all-time highs above $25.

Beam said another post-Covid trend — closed borders — is also beneficial for its own product, as more Australian deploy resources on domestic outdoor activities with international travel still banned indefinitely.

“Many more Australians will be heading to regional and remote holiday destinations during the summer break,” CEO Michael Cappochi said.

Cappochi added that 80 per cent of Australia’s land mass still isn’t covered by mobile network — a potential gap in the market ZOLEO is looking to fill.

Beam’s ZOLEO product operates on a recurring revenue model, with an up-front cost of $345 and subscription plans starting at $32 a month.

The company booked positive operating cashflows in the September quarter, with cash receipts of $4.149m flowing through to net inflows of $152,000.

Along with Kogan.com, Beam also has distribution through Amazon’s Australian website as well as eBay.