The arrival of Iridium

From September 23, Iridium, the satellite-based global mobile phone network will be available to the maritime community, allowing users to make and receive calls anywhere on the planet.

Costs have not been finalised yet, but for a sum of around £2,000, and a £50 monthly subscription charge, the user will be able to buy a mobile handset, requiring no external antenna, which will always be able to communicate with one of 66 low-earth orbit satellites when at sea, and which will automatically revert to terrestrial cellular phone mode when in range of shore. The user will have one mobile number, and a single bill. Call charges will range from £1-£5/min.

The satellites communicate with each other directly over an inter-satellite crosslink, eliminating the need for signals to be passed through a ground station. This provides improved coverage to the areas above and beyond 70 deg North and 70 deg South.

Also, people wishing to contact someone at sea can call them without having to know which ocean zone they are in.

The company sees this system as being an effective and inexpensive way to supplement a low-cost Standard C (data only) GMDSS on vessels of any size. Fax: 0049 211 4973 120