The Problem before Fax ’n’ Go

Standard Group 3 fax machines convert digital information from a scanned document to an analog signal sent out over phone lines. Terrestrial phone systems have adequate bandwidth to accurately convert this analog signal to a different digital format, transmit it over whatever long distance network is being used, then reconvert it to analog format for final transmission to the destination fax machine.

Although the Iridium Satellite Network uses a digital format, it was designed with a fairly small bandwidth to handle voice calls. Therefore, it is inadequate to handle standard fax signals. As a result, it has not been possible to connect a fax machine to an Iridium phone and send or receive a fax - until now.

The Solution with Fax ’n’ Go

Aircell's Fax ’n’ Go solution manages the incompatibility between standard fax signals and the Iridium Network. Using the above Universal Communications Hub device, or uniHub for short, from On-Go, it is now possible to send and receive faxes over your Iridium satellite phone. This breakthrough solution consists of two key components. The first is the uniHub device itself. About the size of a portable CD player, it connects easily between your fax machine and your Iridium satellite phone. Connection to the fax is via a normal RJ-11 telephone cord, while the interface to the phone uses a standard serial cable available from computer or home electronics stores.

Simple Operation

In operation, a document to be transmitted is loaded into the fax machine, the destination phone number is entered, and the Start button is pressed; just as if you were in your office on the ground.

The fax machine "sends" the document to the uniHub that temporarily stores it along with the destination phone number. The uniHub then initiates an Iridium satellite phone call to the second key component in this system - a specially configured server at On-Go's facility. The original fax signal is "packetized" into a format compatible with the bandwidth limitations of the Iridium channel and sent to this server. In the final step, the server converts the packetized information back into the standard fax format and makes a call over the normal terrestrial telephone network to the number of the destination fax.

When all is completed, a confirmation is sent via Iridium Short Message Service (SMS) to the uniHub to indicate successful transmission.

Detailed technical specifications are provided in the printer-friendly PDF brochure.

Start Faxing Now

To take advantage of this new capability, you need the uniHub and the backend service, both of which are available through Aircell. Airtime and service charges will appear on your normal monthly statement. To get started, contact your Aircell salesperson.