A sleeker, smaller and more rugged satellite telephone — featuring an internally stowed antenna — has been introduced by Iridium Satellite LLC of Bethesda, Md. The device, which is called the 9555, also comes with an intuitive user interface, a brighter screen, speaker phone, improved short messaging service, email and an improved mini-USB (universal serial bus) data port.
The handset, says a company spokesman, also offers an illuminated, weather resistant menu, more address book fields, programmable international codes for automatic dialing, an on-board help function and standby operation of four hours of actual talk time.
Iridium phones are marketed as a reliable communications solution for first responders in disaster situations because cellular, landline and radio services can be compromised when existing land-based infrastructure is destroyed.