Test Your Satellite Phone: Iridium Helps Arctic Worker Survive Life-Threatening Situation

For those working far afield or in harsh conditions, dangerous situations can arise quickly and can be impossible to predict — but they are not impossible to prepare for. If you rely on your satellite phone as critical connection in times of need, regular testing can ensure it is ready when called upon.

It’s a small thing that can be completed in mere moments. And it can save your life. Just ask Fredrik Granath.

As a leading expert on fieldwork and production of photography and film in the polar regions, Fredrick knows about proper preparation. “Working in the Arctic is demanding,” he says. “It is a place which often offers the most extreme conditions on the planet.”

“Passing over glaciers full of crevasses or over pack-ice that breaks up all around you can be risky,” he states, “but with experience comes knowledge, and the ability to read the conditions ahead of us. It is all about analyzing the potential risks, and most importantly — always being prepared for the worst.”

A Very Close Call
In May 2005, the worst happened. Fredrik and his partner had been in the field for over three months on Svalbard, completing the photography book ‘Vanishing World.’ On the final day, as he was driving up a hill, the ground beneath his snowmobile suddenly disappeared and Fredrik plunged into a 20-foot crevasse, and his sledge with almost a thousand pounds of camera gear and gasoline tumbling after, breaking his back and crushing his left arm.

“I always keep the Iridium® phone close, so I was able to call for help,” he explains. After a helicopter rescue operation, extensive surgery, and half a year of rehabilitation, Fredrik was able to return to the field. “In our work,” Fredrik concludes, ”having the life line of being able to call for help is absolutely necessary.”

Test Your Satellite Phone
This critical need is why Iridium presents Test Your Satellite Phone week to help ensure your communication devices are in proper working order. The program was established by Iridium to support first responders, emergency workers, government agencies and anyone else who might be in a life-threatening situation and need communications to count on.

For testing tips visit www.testyoursatellitephone.com or simply dial 00-1-480-752-5105 to get started. No data rates will apply.