OVERVIEW: Iridium is the most popular satellite phone for global travelers that need reliable voice communications. Voicemail, text messaging, 00-911 emergency dialing, and internet access are supported.
IRIDIUM EQUIPMENT: The newest and smallest Iridium phone model is the Iridium 9555 satellite phone. A wide variety of accessories are available including data kits, email software, magnetic-mount antennas for your car, mast antennas for your boat, and docking stations. If you need Iridium connectivity from within a building, we recommend the BEAM RST100 Iridium phone which can be used in concert with conventional phone and fax equipment (adapter required).
CALLING AN IRIDIUM PHONE IS EASY: From your home or office, simply dial l-480-768-2500 and enter your Iridium 12-digit mobile number. If you prefer, a dedicated US phone number can be assigned to your Iridium mobile on most postpaid rate plans for a small additional monthly fee.
IRIDIUM INTERNET AND FAX SERVICES: Most Iridium phones offer 2400 bps internet-data access. The Iridium OpenPort is a marine Iridium phone that can provide up to 3 simultaneous voice lines or data speeds of up to 128 kbps. Special compression software such as SkyFile or Amos Connect are available at no cost from Outfitter Satellite. These software packages also support email and e-fax communications. Call us for operating system requirements. A hardware-based fax adapter is available for applications involving conventional G3 fax equipment.
IRIDIUM ACCESSORIES: Other Iridium equipment exists for applications where simple handheld phones are insufficient.
RATE PLANS AND BILLING: Outfitter Satellite offers both prepaid and standard postpaid service plans. Online Billing with call detail records are provided with all monthly postpaid plans. Mailed bill delivery and CD-bill delivery are available.
PREPAID PLANS: There are several ways to purchase prepaid airtime. Iridium offers prepaid plans with no monthly fees valid for global use or valid for select regions, such as Alaska, Canada, or Africa. It is also possible to purchase 60 minute Scratch Cards that can be used with specially configured PIN-protected postpaid SIMs: this is done to allow an Iridium phone owner to share the use of the phone with other users without giving them access to the owner's service account.
HOW IRIDIUM WORKS: The Iridium System uses a large constellation of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites in polar orbits about 485 miles above the earth's surface. The satellites orbit once every 100 minutes. Iridium mobile phones use omni-directional antennas. A user merely needs to have line-of-site between his/her Iridium antenna and one of the LEO satellites. A call from the Iridium mobile phone on the ground is routed through a chain of one or more Iridium satellites until it can be routed to an Iridium gateway (ground station). From the gateway, voice calls are routed through the public switched telephone network (PSTN) and on to their final destination. The ability to route calls through multiple satellites is a key reason why Iridium can offer total global coverage without maintaining a large number of expensive ground stations. No matter how remote your location (including mid-ocean and polar regions), Iridium coverage is available. Iridium voluntarily blocks service to any country that does not want Iridium service in their territory. Currently, there are only a few countries that have voluntarily opted out of Iridium service. Call Outfitter Satellite for more information.
