Is Emergency calling available on the Iridium network?
In response to the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) requirements regarding mobile satellite service and compatibility with 9-1-1 emergency calling systems, Iridium introduced 9-1-1 Emergency Services effective as of February 11, 2005. When an Iridium voice subscriber dials 9-1-1 within the Service Territory (Defined as the 50 United States, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands), the call will be routed to Iridium’s selected 9-1-1 emergency call center provider, Intrado. The Intrado representative will collect the nature of the emergency and the caller’s name, callback number, and location. The call will then be routed to the most appropriate Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP). At that point, the caller will speak directly to the PSAP for emergency assistance. To access the service, the Iridium subscriber will simply turn on the handset, rotate the antenna, press “9 1 1” and “Ok”. Although the FCC only requires access to the emergency call center b
