Iridium Voicemail

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IRIDIUM MESSAGING SERVICES TEXT + VOICEMAIL

PLEASE NOTE Charges are incurred for calling voicemail services as per current tariffs.

Voice mail services on Iridium telephones can be switched on or off by the user / subscriber. (The default setting is "forward when unavailable")

MOTOROLA / IRIDIUM PORTABLE 9505a / 9555 (and 9522 P/TP) HANDSETS

To change call forwarding settings:

  • press "menu" to access "call related features"
  • ....then by using cursor keys, scroll up or down to "call forwarding".
  • Select "view options", if telephone is registered with the system and with good signal strength, the status of call forwarding is displayed.
  • It is then simply a case of switching it on or off according to user preference and wait for 30 seconds approx for the system to update your choice..
  • The choice of call forwarding should be "forward when unavailable" > "voicemail"

Eurocom / Skanti / Sailor Iridium Fixed Mount Phones

Disabling voicemail on an Sailor Iridium fixed mount transceiver is achieved by "switching off" all call forwarding.

  • After ensuring that the terminal is switched ON, fully registered with the Iridium Network and is displaying strong and stable signal strength......
  • Ensure that the handset shows "Ready"
  • Press the "off hook" key
  • Enter 0 * # 0 0 2 * # # ( the * key is also a "shift" key, this means you will not see a * symbol appear when this key is used as part of this command string )
  • Wait for the Iridium gateway to respond with "call forwarding off". If this message is not received then the process has failed ( try again ).

Re-activating "Call Forwarding" on an Iridium fixed mount transceiver (and therefore messaging / voicemail services ) is achieved by:

  • Pressing the "off hook" key
  • Entering 0 * * 004 * # #
  • Waiting for the Iridium gateway to respond with "call forwarding on". If this message is not received then the process has failed ( try again ).

To set-up and personalise your Iridium voicemail and messaging services

These instructions apply to all Iridium phones and assume that "call forwarding" has been set-up correctly as specified above.

  • Ensure that your iridium telephone has an active SIM card installed and that the unit is switched on and registered with the satellite.
  • Dial 00881662990000 and press OK on your Iridium handset. After a short pause you will hear the message "You have now accessed the Iridium messaging centre, please enter the number of the person you are trying to reach."
  • Dial your own Iridium telephone number in the following format 8816XXXXXXXX.
  • You will hear the message "You have reached the voicemail of 8816XXXXXXXX"
  • Before the message ends, press * (asterisk) located on the bottom left hand corner of the keypad. You will hear the message "Please enter your password"
  • New subscribers will enter the last seven digits of their Iridium telephone number as their default password. Typically this will be 14XXXXX. or 15XXXXX
  • DO NOT PRESS OK AFTER ENTERING YOUR PASSWORD

You have now accessed your Iridium messaging service. By following the voice prompts, you can personalise your outgoing message, change your access password and customise many other advanced features.

To ensure full operation of your Iridium handset you should, record an outgoing message, change your access password to an easy to remember 4 digit number and record your name in the message preferences when prompted. Now your Iridium telephone is ready to receive messages.

NB "Pound" is an American expression for what the British know as the "#" key

IMPORTANT THINGS TO REMEMBER ABOUT MESSAGING

  • You cannot receive SMS text messages reliably until voicemail is correctly setup.
  • You will not automatically be notified of outstanding messages until your Iridium telephone makes a connection with the system. Typically this will be when you have placed a call or checked for messages by calling the Iridium message centre. When one of these actions takes place the Iridium Constellation becomes aware of your location and alerts you of outstanding messages.
  • Programming the voicemail key to dial own phone number (008816XXXXXXXX) speeds up the process of retrieving voicemail from your handset..
  • It is only partially possible to send cross platform SMS messages to Iridium telephones. Currently:
    • From Iridium, to Iridium works just fine
    • From Iridium, to cell phones works to most cell phones
    • From the cell phone, to Iridium is only partially implemented. At the time of writing (March 2009) we observe that cell phones in the US generally work ok, but at least Vodafone in the UK does not work. The situation is likely to vary from country to country and operator to operator. Possibly badgering your cell phone operator will speed up the process of fixing things...
  • To send a text message to an Iridium telephone, either use email or visit the Iridium website http://www.iridium.com
    • eg. To send a text message simply address it to the appropriate Iridium telephone Number in the following format 8816XXXXXXXX@msg.iridium.com
    • You must not include a subject when creating your email and you must restrict the message to 160 characters.
    • Tip: use the subject "NO" to suppress sending information about who the sender is, which allows more room for the message itself