Iridium Force™ – a new vision for global communications

Iridium Force is said to break the mould of traditional satellite industry go-to-market strategies by making Iridium technology more accessible and cost-effective for partners to develop a wider range of Iridium-based products and services.

Iridium says there are five key aspects of the Iridium Force strategy:

Extend beyond satellite phones: Iridium is enabling communications where people need them most, and in more ways than they expect, and connecting to Wi-Fi-enabled devices such as smartphones (BlackBerry®, Android® or Apple iPhone®), tablets and laptops, as well as favourite applications, far beyond the reach of terrestrial networks.

Simplify connections: Iridium is investing in making its technology more accessible and cost-effective for partners to embed across an ever-widening range of services

Drive innovation: Iridium is opening and licensing its core technologies and its network so it can collaborate with a broader set of innovators to create new solutions for expanding new markets

Enable location-awareness: Iridium is integrating GPS location-based services for on-the-go location-specific applications and personal security capabilities

Perform without compromise: Iridium continues its promise to provide tough, dependable, truly mobile devices and services that work reliably everywhere on the surface of the planet

Matt Desch, CEO, Iridium says: “With Iridium Force, we are leading an industry transformation once again by significantly extending the universe of handheld connectivity options. Iridium Force is our strategic vision for rapidly connecting more people in ways never thought possible –even going beyond the limits of our own devices. Iridium Force is more than the launch of a new satellite phone; it signifies our commitment to enable powerful new capabilities including those devices that are already in customers’ hands to work on the Iridium network –today and in the future.”

New products and services encompassing Iridium Force include:

Iridium Extreme™ – Iridium Force has inspired the introduction of “the most advanced, rugged satellite handset on the market”. Iridium Extreme is the smallest and lightest Iridium handset model, with the ability to precisely locate users anywhere on the surface of the planet.

Iridium Core 9523 – This voice and data module is the “brains” of the Iridium Extreme satellite phone. The Iridium Core 9523 is a sophisticated and flexible device packaged into a small and cost-effective platform for partners to develop new Iridium-based handheld solutions.

Iridium Tracking Portals – Customers can now access location monitoring, messaging and safety tools enabled by the Iridium Extreme satellite phone. Portal features include tracking an Iridium Extreme user’s real-time status and location, zooming to street level via online maps, scheduling regular check-ins, providing emergency services, and sending free-form, canned and social networking messages.

Iridium AxcessPoint – Iridium AxcessPoint is a portable and lightweight Wi-Fi hotspot accessory that easily connects BlackBerry and Android devices to the Iridium network using an Iridium Extreme or Iridium 9555 satellite phone. iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch devices, and Windows and Mac laptops, will need to download the new, free Iridium AxcessPoint Mail & Web application.

Iridium AxcessPoint Connect – Created for Iridium phone users travelling with laptops, this downloadable application for use with the Iridium Direct Internet software connectivity tool turns any Windows laptop into a global Wi-Fi hotspot when connected to an Iridium Extreme or Iridium 9555 satellite phone.