Iridium 9555

The basics

Iridium uses a web of 66 low-orbiting satellites. This means it is the only sat phone network to offer 100% coverage of the earth’s surface. When you switch it on, the phone makes contact with the nearest sat and when it starts to move out of range, the signal for your 9555 is seamlessly flicked to a different, closer sat.

The good

Apart from its call-from-anywhere coverage, another major plus point of the 9555 is its simplicity, particularly its big, easy to hit buttons. When you are stuck in the middle of nowhere in an emergency situation, dialing the wrong number because the buttons are too small will not help your stress levels.

The clear and simple ethos has been carried over to the user interface. Iridium has given the 9555 menu a comprehensive redesign, making it even more intuitive to navigate.

The bad

The battery life is not quite as impressive as competitors, with only four hours talk time and 30 hours on standby - that’s considerably less than the Thuraya XT. It also lacks the XT’s built-in GPS, though anyone venturing out into the wilderness is likely to be packing a handheld GPS anyway.

The bottom line

A small, light satellite phone package that's neater and more convenient to carry around than most satellite phones. Just watch out for that talk time.