PSN Pre-Paid Iridium Service Starts
Iridium pre-paid service is good for infrequent calling on the Iridium system.
In some situations, pre-paid service costs less than the Iridium Basic Service
plan of $19.95/month and $1.50/min. Pre-paid service has no activation fee and a
lower monthly fee than Basic service; however, the per-minute call costs are
higher. Is pre-paid right for you? It depends on how long you need the account
and on your calling pattern. Check out our comparison chart and decide.
http://www.skyhelp.net/iridium_calling_card.htm
Globalstar
Following more than a year and a half of financial struggles since its Feb. 2000
launch of mobile satellite services, Globalstar says it will file for Chapter 11
bankruptcy protection. Like fellow satellite service provider Iridium LLC, which
went bankrupt in March 2000, Globalstar was unable to withstand continuing heavy
financial losses. Globalstar outlines plans to restructure in its third-quarter
financial report, issued Tuesday. Under the agenda, the company will lay off an
additional 50 employees, leaving 125 people to hold the system together.
Globalstar says it hopes to convert Globalstar debt obligations into equity in a
new Globalstar company, and consolidate other Globalstar service provider
operations into the new entity.
http://www.wirelessweek.com/index.asp?layout=newsat2direct&starting=1&pubdate=11/14/01
Iridium Bug
There is a bug in the Iridium Switch that affects some but not all telephones.
It is when someone calls an Iridium telephone number they receive a fast busy
signal when in fact it is not busy, also you are not getting your SMS (short
email) messages. To correct this problem, from the phone, dial the Iridium test
number and have it answer the phone (it is a recording). Then have someone, like
tech support, dial the Iridium telephone and answer the call. This will correct
the problem.
New Engenius Two-way Radio System
We now have the new Engenius Ultra 920 handset. These are the new handsets that
work with the Engenius base unit that has a 2-wire telephone interface. The new
handset is much smaller and the battery has a 40-hour standby rating. The
Engenius unit offers discreet, one-to-one calling compared to the broadcast mode
of most systems. The base unit, with the external antenna, can reach out to five
miles.
http://www.skyhelp.net/engenius/engenius.htm
2-Wire Telephone Iridium Interface
We have a very limited number of complete Kyrocera Marine kits. These units
provide a 2-wire telephone interface for the Iridium network using a Kyrocera
single-mode satellite telephone and telephone interface unit. The 2-wire
interface can be connected to a simple house phone, to a PBX as an extension, or
to one of our Engenius wireless phone base stations. The unit comes in a NEMA 4
enclosure and requires a short antenna cable and external antenna (included).
The kit is complete and tested. It requires an external 12v DC power supply (not
included).
PSN 800-number Iridium Pager Service
PSN is offering an 800 number paging service for Iridium pagers and phones. This
will allow your friends and family to dial an 800 number and an operator will
take up to a 120-character page to be immediately sent to your Iridium pager or
phone. The cost for the service is $1 per page, and there is no monthly fee.
External Antennas for Iridium
While supplies last, we are offering the external fixed-mount Iridium antenna
with up to 50 feet of cable, for PSN Iridium customers only, for $200. This
antenna allows you to use your Iridium phone in the comfort of your office, your
home, your boat, your cabin, etc. The kit has a low-loss (half-inch) cable for
the main run and a 3-foot thin-cable that connects from the cable to your phone.
On the other hand, you could buy an OEM Motorola Iridium fixed-mount antenna and
15-meter cable for about $440. We can also stretch your 5-foot Iridium car
antenna to 12 foot for $50.
Testimonials
Larry M. took a PSN Iridium unit to Dogon Country, Mali, in a small village
along the Bandiagara escarpment. Needless to say, there were no land-based
telephones, and Larry used his PSN Iridium unit to make what was most likely the
first satellite telephone call, and probably the first phone call of any kind
ever made from that village.
http://www.skyhelp.net/first_phone_call.htm
Iridium Equipment Deals
Refurbished 9500 while available for $495(now backordered); new units - $895,
Eurocom Iridium Unit (new), provides 2-wire telephone interface for Iridium -
$2695,
9570 Portable Docking Station (new) for the 9500 Iridium Phone - $995,
Marine Kit (new) (9570 dock, 9500 phone, external antenna, 10m cable) - $2199,
Marine Kit (used) (9570 dock station, external antenna, 10m cable) - $1899,
Motorola (new) fixed-mount Iridium antenna - $205,
ICARUS Aviation Sat-talk unit without 9505 phone - $4495
