What is GEOS?

Imagine that an Iridium 9575 EXTREME satellite phone user is traveling in a foreign country. Unexpectedly a medical emergency occurs. Our Iridium user is prepared. By simply pressing the S.O.S. button on his Iridium phone, emergency personnel half way around the world receive an emergency alert containing his current GPS position.*

The Iridium user is also immediately connected with a highly trained professional at GEOS that gives him critical guidance for the emergency situation. If needed, Search and Rescue (SAR) authorities near the Iridium user are contacted to provide additional assistance.

All this is done through the GEOS International Emergency Response Coordination Center (IERCC) in Houston Texas. The IERCC is equipped with translation capabilities for up to 200 languages and is staffed with qualified first responders including police, firefighters, paramedics and former military personnel. These are highly qualified professionals who have handled emergencies first hand. During the crisis, GEOS provides a critical liaison function between family members, first responders and if necessary the Iridium user’s embassy so that all parties are kept up to date with location, medical and other pertinent information. The liaison service remains in place until the SAR mission is resolved.

GEOS is able to respond worldwide and render aid in the rescue of savable lives on land, in the air, or at sea. Thousands of responses in over 100 countries have been coordinated since the company was founded in 2007.

How much does it cost?

The Iridium GO! and Iridium 9575 EXTREME were specifically designed with an S.O.S. button that the Iridium user can push to quickly communicate their emergency and their GPS position. This S.O.S. button function is programmable so that the Iridium user can define a list of people who would receive the emergency notification, either by text or email. Also, one emergency contact can be programmed to receive a phone call. All of this happens at the touch of a button.

Sending the S.O.S. alert notification to your friends and associates is one choice. If you want reliable 24/7 monitoring from trained emergency response professionals, it is a better idea to configure your Iridium S.O.S. button for GEOS.

Basic service is free to all Iridium 9575 EXTREME and Iridium GO! users with a valid active Iridium SIM card. The only cost would be standard Iridium usage charges for phone calls or SMS messages used by the S.O.S. function in communicating with GEOS. To register for the basic service online go to: www.geosalliance.com/iridium

After registering successfully, the S.O.S. button function on your Iridium phone becomes integrated into the GEOS emergency response service.

Are medivac and repatriation services included?

The basic service plan relies on local authorities and emergency response services and does not include enhanced paid SAR, medical evacuation or repatriation services. Customers can opt for these optional GEOS services for additional fees.

What if you need non-emergency customer support?

Occasionally Outfitter Satellite's customers need assistance with configuration of the S.O.S. button on their Iridium phones. The GEOS services discussed here are not offered through Outfitter Satellite so we cannot offer direct assistance. If you are in the US, you can call GEOS at 1-888-460-4554 (US only). International callers can call GEOS at +44-203-397-2448 (London, UK). GEOS assures a 24-hour response time on this type of customer service inquiry.

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*The GEOS services discussed in this article are offered and provided exclusively through GEOS and not by Iridium or Outfitter Satellite which are separate unrelated companies. The benefits described in this article (and the linked pages) require that the Iridium user register and contract separately with GEOS. Other terms and conditions and limitations of liability are found in the Iridium 9575 EXTREME User Manual and Iridium GO! User Manual. Outfitter Satellite cannot guarantee any Iridium user that an S.O.S. call to GEOS will succeed every time that is attempted because it is possible to have Iridium network and other technical difficulties. The prices, terms and conditions mentioned in this article are correct as of September 15, 2015 but are subject to change without notice.