Iridium Debuts Global Sat Fax, Enhanced Messaging

Iridium Satellite LLC announced the launch of a new satellite fax service that will permit subscribers to send and receive faxes from any location in the world directly to and from any standard fax machine, as well as connect WiFi networks to Iridium.

The Iridium fax service supports inbound and outbound faxes through the uniHub™ interface, which has been developed by On-Go, Inc. of Bethesda, Maryland, USA. UniHub is a plug-and-play solution that extends the functionality of Iridium satellite phones, to include fax and other data services such as WiFi integration. For inbound and outbound faxes, the Iridium phone is connected via uniHub to any standard fax machine or fax modem. Call setup and routing are totally automatic and transparent to the user. Fax calls are routed through Iridium’s global constellation of 66 orbiting satellites. In addition, uniHub includes a broad array of data capabilities such as allowing to receive text-based emails through their Iridium phone and an attached fax machine, as well as bundling data from onboard devices such as a ship’s GPS receiver and transmitting it via email to a shoreside Internet destination for ship tracking and asset management solutions.

With the addition of the uniHub offering, Iridium further extends its strong suite of services for customers around the globe. In industries where fax and data services are critical, such as commercial fishing, mining and oil and gas exploration, the ability to seamlessly connect a standard fax machine over the Iridium network ensures that customers will be better able to perform their business regardless of the inhospitable and remote environments in which they find themselves.