Iridium SIMs

[webcraft]

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Trying to revive my old Iridium 9505, it's not been charged for ten years so I guess I am going to have to buy another battery.

Just been checking the price of SIMs though, and things don't seem to have improved in ten years. I don't mind paying £80 or £100 for 75 minutes, but the minutes expire if not used within 30 days. I want a small number of non-expiring minutes, or minutes that at least last for three months.


- W

 

[GHA]

Last time I used one mailasail mailasail started doing just line rental to keep the minutes alive.
http://www.mailasail.com/Communication/Iridium-Airtime

But certainly a Downside of sat comms on a boat, when you stop off in a nice cruising reading for a few weeks. Then are still there months later and overnight delivery of a new sim can mean stuck in an oily harbour for a couple of weeks wondering if it will ever turn up doing the daily rounds of anything looking vaguely like an office...

 

[prv]

I've definitely seen satellite airtime deals that you could "turn off" and then turn back on months later without losing any minutes. Not sure whether it was Iridium specifically though, could have been Inmarsat.

Pete

 

[ip485]

It is such an annoying feature. Some providers will sell you 12 monthly subscriptions in one go if you pay for the lot, with the "advantage" you can use the data whenever you wish over the year but the cost is alarmingly high even then. You can also purchase points with Iridium which are non expiring but you get charged a few points every month whether or nor you use the service.

 

[Porthandbuoy]

There was a company I dealt with who supplied Inmarsat sim cards which activated on 1st use. ie. your 3 months credit, or whatever, started then. Ideal for emergency comms as the satphone could live in the emergency grab bag. Sadly, neither they, nor anyone else seems to provide such a deal any more.