5 ms·

It would be pretty nice if they partnered up with someone like Verizon and offered service in places where there is no regular 2G/3G service, your phone would n

by Apofis 10y ago

It would be pretty nice if they partnered up with someone like Verizon and offered service in places where there is no regular 2G/3G service, your phone would need to have a chip for it I suppose.

mattkrause 10y ago
The Iridium phones are pretty big--think landline cordless phone handset--and often have an extensible antenna. Given the mania for thinner and thinner phones, this probably isn't going to fly. The network access is also expensive--think $50+ per month, with a handful (literally, like...10) of text messages and voice minutes included, with ~$1 per extra minute/message. If you live and work in somewhere with a modicum of infrastructure, this also probably isn't worth it. (FWIW: I think part of their initial pitch was to Important Executives who need to be in touch with the office 24/7, but that seems to have fallen by the wayside and it's increasingly targeted at people going/living/working in remote areas).
- dboreham 10y ago
  Sat phones are quite common where I live in Montana (you only have to drive 10 miles out of town to lose cell reception). The geosynchronous Inmarsat service is typically better/cheaper than Iridium today. I pay around $35/mo for more call time and SMS than I need to use. The phones are reasonably small but very old-school (like a 2000-vintage GSM handset). Because it uses satellites over the equator you need a southern aspect to connect. Folks rock climbing up north-facing cliffs or sailing north of 70 degrees need Iridium :)
  - mattkrause 10y ago
    Interesting! We looked at Inmarsat and Globalstar when we were in Alaska, but we were at the very edge of their coverage area and it didn't seem worth it to have a potentially-flakey phone for emergencies. I gather it's gotten a lot better since then, though.
minipci1321 10y ago
I seem to recall that, during the initial deployment in the 90-ies, I read about China requesting that some parts of its territory be excluded from coverage. But I cannot find any links to that, and the coverage map doesn't seem to have any holes now.
- Sec 10y ago
  I know that you have to register your phone specially to use it in russia, but I have no idea if that actually affects reachability. I know Iridium is illegal in Kuba, but works just fine there. I don't recall any restriction in china, currently.

by Apofis 10y ago

It would be pretty nice if they partnered up with someone like Verizon and offered service in places where there is no regular 2G/3G service, your phone would need to have a chip for it I suppose.

mattkrause 10y ago

The Iridium phones are pretty big--think landline cordless phone handset--and often have an extensible antenna. Given the mania for thinner and thinner phones, this probably isn't going to fly. The network access is also expensive--think $50+ per month, with a handful (literally, like...10) of text messages and voice minutes included, with ~$1 per extra minute/message. If you live and work in somewhere with a modicum of infrastructure, this also probably isn't worth it. (FWIW: I think part of their initial pitch was to Important Executives who need to be in touch with the office 24/7, but that seems to have fallen by the wayside and it's increasingly targeted at people going/living/working in remote areas).

dboreham 10y ago
Sat phones are quite common where I live in Montana (you only have to drive 10 miles out of town to lose cell reception). The geosynchronous Inmarsat service is typically better/cheaper than Iridium today. I pay around $35/mo for more call time and SMS than I need to use. The phones are reasonably small but very old-school (like a 2000-vintage GSM handset). Because it uses satellites over the equator you need a southern aspect to connect. Folks rock climbing up north-facing cliffs or sailing north of 70 degrees need Iridium :)
- mattkrause 10y ago
  Interesting! We looked at Inmarsat and Globalstar when we were in Alaska, but we were at the very edge of their coverage area and it didn't seem worth it to have a potentially-flakey phone for emergencies. I gather it's gotten a lot better since then, though.

minipci1321 10y ago

I seem to recall that, during the initial deployment in the 90-ies, I read about China requesting that some parts of its territory be excluded from coverage. But I cannot find any links to that, and the coverage map doesn't seem to have any holes now.

Sec 10y ago
I know that you have to register your phone specially to use it in russia, but I have no idea if that actually affects reachability. I know Iridium is illegal in Kuba, but works just fine there. I don't recall any restriction in china, currently.