Iridium unveiled its portable satellite hotspot that enables voice...

Iridium unveiled its portable satellite hotspot that enables voice and data communications on smartphones and tablets anywhere in the world. The product, Iridium GO!, “creates a satellite-backed Wi-Fi zone anywhere on the planet,” enabling up to five smartphones to make calls, get email, text and use some apps, “even when terrestrial networks are non-existent, unreliable or costly,” Iridium said in a press release (http://bit.ly/1g2coGi). It allows users to use their own trusted devices even when they are off the cellular grid without the need for a satellite phone, Iridium said. The company is licensing the capability to allow app developers to utilize the Iridium satellite network through Iridium GO! “to tailor their products to meet the needs of organizations or individuals, and extend the capabilities of the product even further,” it said.