Iridium Phonebook Tips for this Holiday Season

Whether your holiday season takes you over the river or through the woods, remember your satellite phone in case of emergency. Here are some quick phonebook tips to keep you connected on your Iridium handheld.

So you don't remember the phone number you need to call? No problem, the Iridium phone has a large phonebook memory and two options to store the contact information. The phone itself allows for 100 entries and the mini-SIM card (155 entries). Perfect for such entries as emergency services or even grandma's house to let her know you are running late and to save a slice of pumpkin pie.

9505A satellite model
To add entries to the phone memory or SIM memory, go to Phonebook > Personal Numbers > Add New Entry > and then follow the prompts. Both phone and SIM card entry is limited to 16 character name and one phone number.

9555 satellite model
Iridium 9555 phone has a bit more funtionality and allows for entries with multiple phone numbers and an email address. To store entries, go to Menu > My Phonebook > New > and follow the prompts. If you'd like to store entries in the SIM card, use the Iridium Phonebook Tool Software instead of the phone itself. See our post on Iridium Phonebook Tool Software for more information. Like the 9505A, SIM card entry is limited to 16 character name and one phone number.

Benefits of SIM Card Memory
What's great about SIM card memory is that you can simply pop-out the SIM chip and take the entries with you. So if your phone gets damaged or you upgrade to a new one, you won't lose your contact information.

Happy holidays everyone! WCC customers can contact our support team anytime 24/7/365 free of charge at 877.223.5075 or helpdesk@satcomgroup.com.

How to Repair Out of Warranty Iridium Satellite Phones

Do you have an old Iridium satellite phone that is stashed away collecting dust because it doesn’t work? WCC’s repair department can help get it back running and ready for use.

You don’t want to be shocked or disappointed by hidden repair fees, right? So, we start with an estimated repair quote over the phone to avoid miscommunication in the repair costs.

When ready, send in your phone for a formal evaluation and exact RMA quote. Depending on the needed fix, out of warranty repairs can range from $130 - $720 depending on the component that needs repair.

There’s never been a better time than now to get your old phone in for repair. Our trained staff has the ability, supplies, and knowhow to restore your satellite handheld quicker than ever, especially for current production models like the 9505A and 9555 phones. Unfortunately older Kyocera, 9500, and 9505 models are no longer in active production for electronic parts, so there are limited repairs options.

Standard turnaround time for an out of warranty repair is 6 to 8 weeks, but in most cases we can now get a refurbished replacement within 2 weeks. Plus, we’re so proud of our work; all repairs include 90 day warranty!

So, clear off those dust bunnies and make sure your satellite phone works when you need it. Contact us at 877.223.5075, helpdesk@satcomgroup.com, or www.wcclp.com/support.asp.

Permanently disabling the SIM PIN on Iridium sat phones

The SIM PIN is a great security feature to prevent unauthorized access on your Iridium satellite phone. However, if your phone used for emergencies and you don't know your PIN code, this can be a liability preventing you from making a call for help.

Did you know that you can permanently disable the SIM PIN?

For the 9505 series:
Go to Menu > Phone Setup > Require SIM card PIN > Select "Off" then enter current PIN > Done

For the 9555 series:
Go to Menu > Security > SIM PIN > Disable SIM PIN > enter current PIN > Done

If you are concerned that someone has compromised access using your pre-paid minutes or running up your bill, contact your service provider. WCC customers may call 877.223.5075 or e-mail helpdesk@satcomgroup.com.

Why does my Iridium satellite phone say "Blocked"?

Ever get the message "Blocked" on your Iridium satellite phone? This happens when the SIM card PIN has been incorrectly entered 3 times. Don't worry, we're here to help you "unblock" it.

First, contact your service provider's help desk for your SIM card's unique unblocking code called a PUK1 code and old PIN number. WCC customers may call 877.223.5075 or e-mail helpdesk@satcomgroup.com.

UNBLOCKING PROCEEDURE

From your 9505A satellite phone:
Dial * * 0 5 * > enter in PUK1 code >press OK > enter PIN code > press OK > re-enter PIN code > press OK. Screen should display "Completed" and the phone will be ready for use.

From your 9555 satellite phone:
On keypad enter * * 05 * and then press the "Green" left button to see the Enter PUK screen > Enter your PUK code and use the 2-way Navi-key to move through the screen > Scroll down the line to "New PIN" > Enter a new PIN or the PIN given by your service provider > Scroll down again to the line "Verify new PIN" > Re-enter new PIN > Press the left soft key for OK > the screen will say "waiting..." followed by "PUK OK, unblocked"

When successful, you will be taken to the main screen while the satellite phone searches for a signal.


IMPORTANT: Please record your new PIN code in a safe but accessible place. If changed from your old number, your service provider will not have a record of it. If it's forgotten, you'll need to intentionally "block" the phone and go through the "Unblocking" process again to recreate a PIN code.

For more Iridium technical support tips and tools, visit www.wcclp.com/iridiumSup.asp.

Iridium Phonebook Tool software

I finally got time to tryout Iridium's new Phonebook Tool software and was pleasantly surprised about how easy it was to use, especially compared to the old third-party phone book software used in the past.

This new phonebook software not only helps you store important and emergency numbers into your Iridium sat phone, it simplifies the process of transferring phone numbers to/from your 9505A and 9555 Iridium handhelds.

You can also use this software to create a:

• master phonebook list to transfer phone numbers to multiple phones
• fixed dialing list for 9555 handsets
• back-up file of phone book entries to store as a file on your computer.

A download of the Iridium Phonebook Tool Software (Iridium Phonebook Tool.zip) and User Guide are available on www.wcclp.com/iridiumsup.asp.

As usual, our technical support is available for WCC customers free of charge at 877.223.5075 or helpdesk@satcomgroup.com.

The most important thing to remember is, prepare your satellite phone before you need it.

So take the time to use this software and contact us anytime if we can help.

I've got a new Iridium 9555 Satellite Phone, now how do I use it?

Congratulations on your new Iridium 9555 satellite phone. If you're new to satellite telephones, you might be wondering, how do I use it? No problem, it’s easy and we’re here to help.

First thing’s first…on your Iridium 9555, remove the back to insert the SIM chip in the phone. Then reconnect the battery and let it charge for about 8-10 hours.

Now it’s time to make your call. To use the phone, go outside to get a signal. Be sure to avoid any large obstructions like buildings or dense trees that could block the connection from the phone antenna to the satellites in space. Make sure you extend the antenna and tilt it to the left or right so it is vertical when you hold the phone to your ear. Now press the top button to power on and wait for it to acquire a signal. As soon as it says “registered”, you are ready to place your call.

A great new feature of the 9555 is that it has a default prefix number entry mode so you don’t have to dial 00 before the country code as in previous models. Just enter country code, for the US that is 1, then the area code then phone number.

And that’s it, easy huh? Enjoy your phone and watch for future tips.

More help is available too
If you ever need assistance from your Iridium handheld, you can dial our helpdesk for free 24/7/365 by dialing our short code 7750. But what if your 9555 has inserted a + in front of the 7, what do you do? No problem, just use the right soft key under “Clear” on the right side of the display and remove the +7, then enter 7750. If you don’t want to remember this every time here’s a couple of tips.

1. Go into the phone settings and turn off the prefix dialing. Under Menu > Setup > Number Entry > No Prefix or


2. You could enter the helpdesk numbers in the phonebook. The new phonebook can have multiple numbers for one entry so you could put in the short-code 7750 and the landline 1-877-223-5075

Telematics Weekly: Good, Better, Bad — 3 Satellite Companies You Need to Know

by Alva H. Wright on Aug. 18, 2009, a Telematics Weekly exclusive

Along with the Q2 results there have been many other announcements regard­ing the health of var­i­ous satel­lite data providers for the M2M indus­try. Below, we review the state of Inmarsat, Irid­ium Satel­lite and GlobalStar.

Inmarsat
The suc­cess­ful com­mer­cial launch of a third Inmarsat-​​4 satel­lite in Jan­u­ary has report­edly allowed Inmarsat to pro­vide bet­ter global cov­er­age. For Q2 of this year core Inmarsat busi­ness climbed 8 per cent to $337M, dri­ven by strong demand for its new mar­itime voice and data ser­vices, Fleet and Fleet­Broad­band. Rev­enues in the mar­itime busi­ness climbed 5.2 per cent to $177M. Inmarsat also exer­cised its option to buy dis­tri­b­u­tion busi­ness Stratos in April. Stratos is a leader in deliv­er­ing vital voice, data and IP com­mu­ni­ca­tions and boasts more than 20,000 cus­tomers worldwide.

Note­wor­thy: Accord­ing to Andrew Sukawaty, chief exec­u­tive of Inmarsat, the satel­lite oper­a­tor is con­sid­er­ing launch­ing either a pan-​​European radio or TV ser­vice in part­ner­ship with a mobile phone oper­a­tor or media com­pany. This would be made pos­si­ble by uti­liz­ing the unique spec­trum license it was awarded by the Euro­pean Com­mis­sion, which would allow Inmarsat and its part­ner to offer ser­vices to 27 coun­tries across Europe.

Irid­ium Satellite
The num­ber of sub­scribers was up 23.9% from Q2 2008 to 347,000. Irid­ium saw a marked increase in sub­scriber growth in their emerg­ing M2M mar­ket, up 71.4% from Q2 2008. Although equip­ment sales declined 25.7%, unknown if related to Inmarsat’s acqui­si­tion of Stratos, rev­enue was up 1.2% from prior year quarter.

Note­wor­thy: The Fed­eral Com­mu­ni­ca­tions Com­mis­sion has approved GHL Acqui­si­tion Corp.’s pur­chase of mobile satel­lite ser­vices com­pany Irid­ium Hold­ings LLC. The trans­ac­tion, which the com­pa­nies announced in Sep­tem­ber 2008, will take Irid­ium pub­lic. A spe­cial stock­hold­ers’ meet­ing is sched­uled for Sept. 23 to vote on whether or not to approve the pur­chase of Irid­ium. For Irid­ium, the deal means a $500M cap­i­tal injec­tion to the satel­lite company’s cof­fers and helps advance plans to build their next-​​generation satel­lite con­stel­la­tion, which will be par­tially funded by the Air Force, NASA and sev­eral envi­ron­men­tal groups.

Glob­al­Star
Thanks to com­plet­ing $738M financ­ing Glob­al­Star still has a heart­beat but no one knows for how long. Q2 results mark a sig­nif­i­cant down­turn. Total rev­enue was reported at $15.7M, down 68% from the pre­vi­ous year and Net Loss was $13.8M, up 52% from the pre­vi­ous year.

Note­wor­thy: Shortly after announc­ing the release of their SPOT Satel­lite GPS Mes­sen­ger Glob­al­Star also announced the exit of its COO, Thomas Colby in July. To date nei­ther announce­ment has resulted in much fanfare.