Iridium's - The Inner Workings

‘Our 5c on … ‘
What to expect from an Iridium Satellite Phone/Wi-Fi device.

Iridium has recently updated its network of 75 orbiting satellites which has made a marked improvement to call quality. As the satellites are moving it’s important to remember you may experience drop-outs; depending on your position in relation to the passing satellite orbits. If you are in mountainous terrain and the satellite passes behind the hill you will lose the connection. Iridium charges premium rates for its airtime services. Their equipment is robust and high quality. It’s a truly global network.

If you are looking to hire an Iridium Satellite Phone, we like the Iridium network predominantly for people that need to be contactable continuously for their telecommunications. As the Iridium devices have a compact magnetic external antenna it’s an affordable option when regular contact is required.  Due to its orbiting satellites, which do offer truly global coverage, we find that the Iridium network offers good voice quality and, particularly in hilly and forested terrain, connection dropouts are likely.   

The Go! Wi-Fi device has its applications – it’s handy for regular SMS comm’s and given the Wi-Fi connection it’s good in situations where a wireless connection is required – however, it’s not our recommendation for users that primarily want an emergency outbound phone – that’s where the 9555 is better placed. 

Satellite phone handsets are not as straightforward to use as normal mobile phones and knowing how to use them correctly will make a huge difference.

Iridium Coverage Map (Truly Global)