Iridium Communications Inc. has announced Iridium GO!, the industry’s first portable satellite hotspot that connects to any smartphone or tablet, dramatically extending voice and data coverage for personal devices when they are out of range of cellular networks.
Iridium GO! creates a satellite-backed Wi-Fi zone anywhere on the planet, enabling up to five smartphones to make calls, get their email, text and use some apps, even when terrestrial networks are non-existent, unreliable or costly. This first of its kind product allows users to conduct business, connect with family or access information no matter where they may travel – without the need for a satellite phone.
THE IRIDIUM GO! Raising the antenna turns on the device, which then automatically connects to the Iridium network and establishes a Wi-Fi connection.
Raising the antenna turns on the device, which then automatically connects to the Iridium network and establishes a Wi-Fi connection. By using a special Iridium GO! app on their device, individuals can then use their phone or tablet to make voice calls, text, send their precise location to family and friends and even report a personal emergency through an available SOS service.
With a small form-factor, Iridium GO! is highly portable, providing a Wi-Fi network with a coverage radius of 100 feet. Users can connect devices wirelessly without any special adapters and enjoy great voice quality, thanks to the use of optimized audio fidelity of their smartphones. In addition, Iridium GO! is Iridium NEXT-ready; it works on the current satellite network and will work with the new Iridium NEXT satellites that will begin launching in 2015.
Speeds will be low though — about 20 kilobits per second. But data speeds are expected to get faster after Iridium launches a new fleet of satellites in the coming years.
The device will cost about US$800 (approximately Php35,200) and data rates will vary depending on the Iridium airtime plan.
“Iridium GO! is truly a new way of making mobile satellite connections and will expand the market for MSS,” said Eric Verheylewegen, Vice President & General Manager for GMPCS. “It’s small and very portable and doesn’t add any weight to the user’s smartphone. It also has the flexibility to connect a variety of different devices, and numerous devices at a time, which is unprecedented. It really enables maximum flexibility for our customers – it’s like carrying a small, personal cell tower with you wherever you go.”
Travelers to remote countries can keep an Iridium GO! in their bag and instantly connect at a café through their smartphone to text or call family and friends at home. Outdoor adventurers will never have to worry again about missing an important email while back-country camping. The device is also valuable for the military and first responders, as well as for emerging machine-to-machine (M2M) applications. Developers in the transportation industry, for example, can link sensors and monitors from their apps in the vehicle through Iridium GO!
Iridium GO! will be available during the first half of 2014 through select Iridium distribution partners.
