Whether you order online or over the phone, your phone will generally ship within 1 business day. We use overnight courier services to ship all handsets however different locations may require additional time. If you have a specific date you require the handset by please make a note when ordering so we can monifor the freight. We recommend you order at least 1 week before you leave for your trip just in case there are any problems that may interfere with courier delivery.

As long as the airtime service is ordered with the handset we will pre connect the sim card so it has a phone number and we can include the connection report with the phone and label the phone. Please note however we wont fully activate the service until you request the service is activated as many customers order the equipment several months before their trip so don’t want to waste money on access fees prior to the trip. There will be a note in with the phone with instructions to activate the service prior to departure.

Satellite Phone Sales offers next business day delivery for most cities across Australia(some exceptions apply). Your order must be placed before 3:00 pm EST for next business day delivery (weekends excluded). Please note the next day delivery service is not a guaranteed timeline and some delays can occur. If you live in a rural area and you need next day delivery, please call our Customer Care centre at 1300 197 600 to ensure next day delivery is possible.

You may order online using our secure ordering process or you may phone our us on 1300 197 600 to speak with a Customer Care Associate who can answer your questions and place your order for you.

Satellite Phone Sales products and services are subject to availability. Should you place an order for an item which is currently out of stock we  will contact you to arrange for a substitute item or to change your order.

Satellite Phone Sales products and services are subject to availability. Should you place an order for an item which is currently out of stock we  will contact you to arrange for a substitute item or to change your order.

The only difference between using a satellite phone and using a cell phone is that the antenna of your satellite phone must have a clear line of sight to the sky. Satellite phones work best when used outside without obstructions (tall buildings, mountains, trees etc). In towns and cities, inside buildings or around built up areas, it can be difficult to get a clear line of sight to the satellite, and signal strength may weaken.

Yes, text messages can be sent and received on your satellite phone. Incoming text messages are free and outgoing text messages are $1.00 each.

Before using satellite phones in other countries we recommend contacting the local embassy or customs to confirm it is legal to bring the phone into the country. Some countries Like India, China and Russia have very strict communications laws and usage without permission can resort in severe consequences.
Iridium and Inmarsat comply with US embargo restrictions and as a result the following countries may not permit the use of Iridium satellite phones or coverage may not be available: Myanmar (formerly Burma), Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea and Syria.
Thuraya handset are on a regional system covering Northern Africa Through Asia and Australia.

Some cruise operators offer the ability to use your cellular phone on the ship, even while you are at sea. You should contact your cruise operator or travel agent before departure to learn about cellular options on the ship. Be sure to ask your cellular carrier about the per-minute rate for using the cruise ship network, as the roaming charges may be quite expensive ($2.49-$5+ per minute). A satellite phone may prove to be a better option for your cruise if you want to be assured of a consistent per-minute rate regardless of your location and the available cellular technology on the ship.

A couple of tips for using a satellite phone aboard a cruise ship:

• to make OR receive calls, you must be outdoors and have a clear line of sight to the sky at all times (this likely means you need to be up on deck and/or away from the superstructure)
• you must move well away from any high powered radio or satellite equipment located on the ship (ask a crew member about locations of this equipment)
  

Most airtime plans provided by Satellite Phone Sales are on a local number system. This means for people to call you they would just dial the standard mobile phone number which would just be billed at normal mobile call rates.
Customers with Prepaid services or specific international plans will have International phone numbers so callers should dial their international dialing code (ie. 0011 ), followed by your 12-digit satellite phone number. For example, if your number is (881) 5555-1234, callers from Australia should dial 0011 881 5555 1234.

The caller pays for the call based on the rates their long distance service provider sets to dial the 8816 country code. There is no cost to you for these incoming calls. If the call does not go through, it means that the caller's long distance service provider does not support the 8816 country code. Please note that these call rates will be at a premium rate and likely will cost around $15 per minute depending on their phone provider.

Your contacts can send you a text message from the Iridium website messaging tool at https://messaging.iridium.com/ 
Your phone must be on to receive this message.

If you have an Inmarsat phone, your contacts can send you a text message from the Inmarsat website messaging tool: https://connect.inmarsat.com/Services/Land/IsatPhone/SMS/sms.html

1. Enter the '+' symbol on the display by pressing and holding the [0] key until the '+' symbol appears.
2. Enter the country code (61) for the country you are calling (the country code for Australia is '61').
3. Enter the area code.
4. Enter the telephone number.
   For example, to call (08) 9200 6180 dial +61 8 9200 6180
   

Press the "release" button. Ensure the antenna in the down position. Click the antenna into place and let go of the release button simultaneously.

• Dial your Iridium handset number or 8816-629-90000.
• Wait for voice prompt.
• Enter the number you are trying to reach (ex. 8816-314-XXXXX) if you dialed the access number.
• Interrupt voicemail greeting by pressing *. (Start here if calling phone directly)
• Wait for prompt to enter password.

• Check the phone. Verify the phone is powered on.
• Check the SIM card. Verify the SIM card is inserted correctly.
• Check the antenna. The antenna needs to be fully extended, attached correctly, and have a clear line of sight to the sky.
• Check the signal strength meter. If signal is weak, move to an open space with a clear line of sight.
• Confirm correct dialling pattern is being used. For international service users calls must begin with 00 or the '+' sign then the country code.
• Confirm that the number dialled is valid. Check the number you are trying to reach.

• Check the phone. Verify the phone is powered on.
• Check the antenna. The antenna needs to be fully extended, attached correctly, and the call is being made in a clear line of sight to the sky.
• Check the signal strength meter. If signal is weak, move to an open space with clear line of sight.
• Check the dialling pattern. Confirm the caller is using the correct dialling pattern.
• Check the ringer. Verify ringer is on:

1. Press Menu key to Phone set-up.
2. Press OK.
3. Press Menu key again, to Adjust Ring Volume. Press OK.
4. Press up arrow to increase volume and down arrow to decrease volume.
   

• Press and hold the power key for three seconds to turn the phone's power on.
• Check the battery. Is it charged and properly attached? Are the contacts clean and dry? Is the battery holding a charge?

• Check the phone. Verify the phone is powered on.
• Check the antenna. The antenna needs to be rotated towards the sky and extended.
• Make sure that there are no obstructions to the antenna, such as trees or buildings.
• If using an Inmarsat or Thuraya handset try pointing the antenna towards the satellite. If you are unsure which direction the satellite is hold the phone out at a 45 degree angle. You don’t get any signal turn 90 degrees to the right and wait 10 seconds, if there is no signal turn 90 degrees to the right again then wait another 10 seconds and if still no signal rotate 90 degrees to the right again. At one point you should get at least some signal and you can adjust slightly to get the strongest possible signal.
• If you still are unable to get a signal try to move to a higher or clearer location

• Check the charger. Is it properly connected? Are the charger's contacts clean and dry?
• Check the battery temperature. If it is warm, let it cool before recharging.
• Check the battery contacts. Are they clean and dry?
• Is it an old battery? Battery performance declines after several years use. Replace the battery.
• Make sure you have an approved battery installed. If you see Invalid Batt. in the display, you will not be able to charge this battery.

• Alternating Red and Green: an incoming call.
• Flashing Green: you are receiving a signal from the satellite, and can place and receive calls.
• Flashing Yellow and Red: you did not successfully register with the satellite and cannot receive any incoming calls. Your SIM card may be inserted incorrectly, may not be inserted, or you may be in a restricted area.
• Flashing Red: service is not available.