Iridium Phones Choice
More and more people travel to the far and beyond, to the deepest jungles and the darkest corners of the globe. Some live in remote places like Alaska and Greenland where the only way of communicating would be by phone. Others of us hate to be without signal when we venture into the country side.
For all these reasons and more you may want to look at what sorts of satellite phones are available. In this review I have taken a look at the Iridium offer of satellite phones.
Getting An Iridium Satellite Phone
Living in remote areas, traveling to the unknown or just wanting to be in touch when the normal cell phone signal is out of reach are all reasons to have a satellite phone. And it is also possible for anyone to have one as the prices have fallen, the calling plans are reasonable…and we have got addicted to being in touch.
Iridium phones come in two models. One is slightly older than the other but they are similar with the newer phone being able to act as a hotspot for internet connection.The first phone is called Iridium 9555 and the newer one is the Iridium Extreme 9575.
Motorola launched the system called Iridium in 1998 by Motorola and they called it Iridium. It had 66 satellites that moved in orbit crossing the earth continually. It used 13 earth based stations to communicate with and the satellites communicate with each other.
Iridium Network
Iridium Satellite Phones
The Iridium phones have to connect to moving satellites so you can have problems with coverage, depending on where you are and what satellite is closest. Nevertheless, an Iridium phone has the advantage that it will work when you find yourself in canyons or blocked behind mountains because the satellites fly overhead at different intervals, with no more than 15 minutes between the flyovers.
The Iridium satellite phones are the only ones that will work in the polar regions, so if you are planning a trip to Greenland, then this is the only phone that will keep you in touch with your loved ones..
Iridium handsets are more expensive than other network handsets. Although, they offer some great features Some can be tracked as to location history, some have panic alerts that send a signal to a pre-coded number, some can send GPS coordinates.The new Iridium 9575 Extreme has Wifi and Bluetooth capabilities for data and remote headsets. But the charger is a little hefty. You have to install a little appendage to the bottom of the phone, then plug the adapter into that, which can be a bit of a pain, and you might lose this little extra!
The Iridium phone can work without the antenna up but with limited coverage and reliability so if you are expecting calls then you have to have the antenna up permanently.
Iridium are on their fourth generation of satellite phones and they have recently brought out their newest edition, the Iridium 9575 Extreme which has more options than its predecessor the Iridium 9555, which you can still get.
The Iridium phones have to connect to moving satellites so you can have problems with coverage, depending on where you are and what satellite is closest. Nevertheless, an Iridium phone has the advantage that it will work when you find yourself in canyons or blocked behind mountains because the satellites fly overhead at different intervals, with no more than 15 minutes between the flyovers.
Iridium handsets are more expensive than other network handsets. Although, they offer some great features Some can be tracked as to location history, some have panic alerts that send a signal to a pre-coded number, some can send GPS coordinates.