Iridium 9575 Extreme Satellite Phone with Prepaid and Postpaid SIM Cards

This is the best handset produced for use with the Iridium Satellite network. Now, before I go on gushing about how it has inbuilt GPS and can transmit your location from anywhere in the world to anywhere in the world, or how you can make a call and send SMS in the backest of back country wilderness, let me remind that this is a satellite phone, so a few caveats apply:1. You must have a clear view of the sky and have line of sight to the satellite. The phone may work ok in thin cover or out from a window, but performance will be inconsistent.2. Iridium was designed in the late 1980s/early 1990s. Back then, a 28.8k modem was considered to be screaming fast. I am sure 2.4k data speeds from outer space sounded really cool back then, but today it is not really practical for anything other than short text messaging.3. The equipment is designed for people who need remote communications. Period. There is no camera, no music player, no appstore, nothing you would expect from a modern smartphone.That said, the handset is easy to use. Just power up, wait for a signal and make a call. From power on to calling takes about 30 seconds. SMS is a little more complex, but no more than on old style flip phones. Iridium's SMS service is send and receive and the satellite network will queue incoming SMS until you are in range of a satellite. The voice quality is nothing to get excited about, but considering the fact that the signal is flying through space, the clipping/compression is tolerable. The 9575 has the best audio quality of any other previous Iridium equipment. And look at it this way, you can tell all your friends, "hey, I'm calling you from my satellite phone". Sort of a way to relive the early days of cellular from the 80s.Battery life is excellent. The phone can standby for a couple of days and give hours of active use. Spare batteries are easy to come by. Try to do this with an iPhone.The one drawback is the requirement to carry around a special end piece to charge the phone or use data. The piece is not as rugged as the phone and prone to getting lost. No end piece, no battery charge, no phone home.As far as phone build quality, I could hammer nails with mine. I probably won't considering what I paid for it, but if you need something that can just be tossed in a backpack or worn on a toolbelt, this is the product for you.As far as dust/water protection goes, the phone is excellent. It is "jet water resistant", so if you'd like to take it to the airport and hold it in front of a 747 exhaust during a hurricane, the phone will survive. Good to know. Seriously, the phone is protected against rain/spray ingress. It is not waterproof, so if it goes in the water it's finished, but for virtually any condition imaginable, this phone will be fine.If you need a phone that can make a call from just about anywhere, this is your answer. Of all the handheld satphones, Iridium Extreme has the best balance of coverage, features, and ergonomics. You really feel like the phone is ready for anything.

I enjoy having the ability to send my current location in case of an emergency with the built in GPS. The panic button to enable that function was a great idea. I enjoy the more rugged aspect. The data transmission rate is a drawback.

The Iridium 9575 sat phone works well when it connects. There are times when the service (on a clear day) just doesn't seem to find the satellites...but if you want 5-10 minutes it finds them. The battery life is much much much shorter than advertised. My battery was down by alot after just sitting around for 1/2 day. After a phone call, it went down approximately 25%.I don't understand why Iridium has not made a water proof phone yet. The technology in this phone is antiquated (ie: old Nokia black/white days) yet the phone is as expensive as a iPhone. Think about this...you want this phone for emergencies. I like to go fly fishing in remote places...it might get wet ! people who go boating/sailing might get it wet too...

I just received the phone a couple of days ago, but I already have it activated and working on the network.The main point I want to make in this review is that the seller was very helpful in providing service, which I hadn't expected. A SIM (unactivated) came with the phone with a contract for service with GlobalCom.I knew that I was under no obligation to sign up with them, and in fact from research had already decided to get service from another provider. But examining their terms they seemed as good or marginally better than the other company I was planning on using. The real question was customer service, as the other company had a good reputation and had replied promptly to my questions.GlobalCom did just as good a job with customer service. I called twice with questions and was always talking with a person within a minute. That person was knowledgeable and answered my questions straight away. So I decided to sign up with them. I emailed them the form, and within 24 hours had a confirmation email. I took the phone out in the back yard, and voila! Service!Be aware that satellite phone service is not cheap. I bought a "Post Paid" plan for $50/month that includes 10 free minutes. Excess minutes are charged at $1.29 each. But I didn't buy the phone for chatting, it's for emergency use and quick updates.Regarding the phone; it's too early to say but it seems very well made, and only weighs about an ounce more than my cell phone (admittedly a heavy Nexus 6). Connections were quickly made and solid -- I even retained the connection in my kitchen, though that will probably vary depending on which satellites are in the sky at the time.Expensive phone, but I wanted the best, lightest, most rugged.

Meh... not what was expected. A lot easier to email / text back and forth than placing a call. Super expensive to call, $6 a minute from Verizon to satelitte phone. Not a very good signal when trying to place a voice call back and forth. Had to keep ringing off and recalling bc of dropped signal, even in open field with clear skies as recommended per use instructions. I probably would try and find a better phone for the price. Disappointed on the whole that we paid this much plus extra to add minutes. Should have sent it back for a refund but missed the window. Do plenty of research. This will get you by but for the price not worth it.

Do not purchase this if you think a "prepaid" SIM card really means "prepaid". When I tried activating the phone, I was told I had to purchase minutes because was not prepaid, and there is none to contact over this! I will give a three star because I do believe this is a very good and efficient product.

Batteries are defective they charge and they the battery dies all the sudden.