[SatNews] No need for additional hardware, and communications are supported around the globe using any number of devices...

Connectify now has signed on with a strategic partnership that will offer Iridium AxcessPoint Connect to the mobile communications market. The Iridium AxcessPoint Connect software uses Connectify's Wi-Fi sharing technology to give Iridium satellite phone users the ability to transform their laptop into a wireless hotspot to access the Iridium global network through their smartphones, tablets and other devices. This software application, which is built on the proprietary Connectify architecture, provides Iridium satellite phone customers the power to connect their various devices online around the globe, and without any additional hardware.

Whether thousands of miles out-to-sea, or in the most remote desert outposts, customers can easily use their Iridium AxcessPoint Connect software to transform their laptop into a wireless hotspot, and broadcast the Iridium satellite network as Wi-Fi to their devices. Iridium AxcessPoint Connect is the first software access point, or Soft AP, developed expressly for Iridium satellite phones with mobile data plans. Leveraging several years' experience in the wireless networking software space, Connectify worked closely with Iridium to develop an application that offers additional functionality to meet the needs of Iridium's satellite phone customers. With intelligent dialing and connection management, Iridium AxcessPoint Connect automatically dials or disconnects the user's satellite phone based on whether host or client devices are actively connected. This feature minimizes airtime costs while letting Iridium satellite phone users focus on more important at-hand tasks. Other features, such as custom firewall controls, give users the ability to control permission for which devices have LAN and/or Internet access. This value-added functionality helps in low-bandwidth situations where multiple devices require distinct levels of access. ridium AxcessPoint Connect will be available to Iridium customers later this year via the company's website — the software must be installed on a laptop with Windows XP/Vista/7 and used with Iridium's Direct Internet software when connected to an Iridium phone with satellite data service.