Iridium Go

Yes, that is the other option. Certainly cheaper in the long run.

Tell us how as there was a recent thread that doubted the availability of the $10 sim.

Presumably it is a postpaid account and if so how long for.

When we were travelling I just took my sim out of my phone and stuck it in the Satfone never cost anything above the monthly plan cost I was on.

Hi Tom
It was me that started that recent thread and using the advice that was provided in the thread I was able to get the SIM.

This is the thread

Essentially I had to call them because the Telstra stores know very little to nothing.

I told them what I wanted only to be told it doesn't exist, I told them it did and to please check with someone who might know. Eventually someone was found who said it does exist

When it came time to process the request the operator couldn't find the plan in his computer and had to phone someone to find out how to process it, etc.... etc

eventually got it sorted then activated global roaming, received confirmation that it was active but still got invalid SIM so activated a second time and now everything works.

Alls well that ends well.

I know I can just swap the SIM from my usual phone which was my original plan but I found the process tedious, firstly my phone has a mini SIM so I had to use an adaptor because the iridium uses a full size SIM. Also getting the SIM out of my phone is really fidly, puting it in the Iridium is pretty easy however given that this phone is for emegrencies on a three month trip I figured I would get the SIM so me or my partner didnt have to mess about with SIM cards if one of us is lying in a heap having been bitten by a snake.

Cheers
Stephen

Ok so its $10 a month postpaid (on a plan) for how long.

Well done Stephen L for persisting that Telstra poke around and find the $10 casual postpaid plan.

@Tom - It's a $10 plan no contract leave whenever you want there was also no connection fee of any kind. Just a simple plan, as it should be.

@ Dean - thanks, sometimes it's worth the effort other times not.

Cheers
Stephen

From memory the speed for the Iridium is 2.4Kbps.
That is ridiculously slow, like VERY slow.
Cant remember costs

However Iridium are planning a new network of satellites to replace existing fleet. These will have much higher speeds available and will be backward compatible with existing handsets.

Not sure if the newly released GO will be able to operate at the higher speeds when (if) the new satellites are deployed.

Cheers
Stephen

Inmarsat's BGAN claims up to 492kbps. Divide by 8 for Bytes, ie. one character.

Further to Stephen's comments. Not is it only ridiculously slow but you can't just browse or email. You have to use special apps to communicate.

2400BPS modems were the ants pants in 1994. The rule even back then was text only, no pictures. An average web page will take 10 mins or so to download.

Hi Stephen, you are quite correct that the new Iridium constellation will support higher data speeds and will support older phones, however older phones will still work only at the 2.4kbps speed. The only device that is forward compatible is the Iridium GO!

So for those wanting to keep up with new satellite developments the GO! Is the logical choice.

It also has some major advantages, couple it with an external antenna and you have an Excellent in car / van solution needing no expensive car kit. It also supports and has the emergency button like the 9575, something lacking in the 9555 and older. The unit is also IP65 rated making it very dust and water proof unlike older handsets.

We've sold quite a few of these and hear only good things. Pretty sure our pricing is the most competitive out there too! :)

And answering the OP - yes the unit will have it,s own number. Depending on plan of choice this may be an Oz mobile number or an international iridium number.

As an alternative the Isathub is a very good choice. Voice, SMS and data at 384 kbps (3g like speeds).

Calls are very cheap and data varies from about $3 to $5 per MB. Whilst that sounds horrific there are ways to use the system without running up huge bills.

If People are interested in seeing how these devices work I'd encourage them to view the videos on our website www.satphonesales.com.au

Third link down under categories.

Regards,

Kev

Thanks for the info Kev.

Given the prevalence of cloud-based applications on laptops, smart phones and tablets, you have to take care to turn them all off if file storage or backup isn't essential. Otherwise they beaver away in the background chewing up your data allowance. In the case of wireless broadband a 4G connection sucks up the bytes fast.

Indeed Sigmund - for this reason we have a series of recommendations for our data device customers. This includes the use of two way firewalls, browsers which strip unnecessary content and use inline servers to compress content, services that provide highly compressed channels for mail and file access plus more.

Not as scary as it sounds. Incidentally devices like the IsatHub have very sophisticated built in firewalls and quota management systems that are not too hard to configure and understand.

Your information is very welcome and informative Kev. I assumed the Iridium Go was always stuck at 2400bps. It is right to assume that it will be 9600 - 64K on the new sat system for normal connections. That would be worth investigating.

Thanks for the information Kev.

Hi Boobook, we haven't heard what the new speeds will be for sure. The comment "3G like speeds" has been thrown around and would be very open to interpretation.

What's for sure is that it'll be better than the present Iridium standard of 2.4kbps. Not that it's hard to beat that!

Give the "future proof" feature of the device, it's versatility and flexibility of use in vehicles and vans, along with ruggedness I reckon it puts the handsets to shame. The price point compared to regular handsets makes the GO exceptional value for those that must have an Iridium service.