KDDI brings Iridium back after a five-year break

Starting 1st of June, KDDI Network & Solutions revived the satellite phone service Iridium in Japan after a five-year break.

Iridium service uses satellites to cover the entire Earth to provide connectivity and is extremely useful in the remote parts of the globe where traditional telephone or cellular networks do not exist.

The service was stopped in 2000 due to the slow uptake in subscriber numbers, but the demand is on a rise again, taking into account the high fault tolerance and reliability of the service during the natural disasters, when the only connectivity option left is a satellite phone.

KDDI sells Iridium handset at JPY241,500 ($2,236), with monthly service plan costing JPY6,000 ($55). Communication charges for Iridium-to-Iridium calls are JPY105 ($0.97) per minute, while calls to PSTN or cell phones are charged at JPY165 ($1.52) per minute.

Source: KDDI Network & Solutions