[SatNews] Iridium Communications Inc. (Nasdaq: IRDM has launched its fourth annual “Test Your Satellite Phone” (TYSP) Week initiative, reminding users to make sure their satellite phones are ready to deploy at a moment’s notice when natural or manmade disasters strike.

“First responders, emergency relief and recovery workers, and organizations with international operations depend on Iridium satellite phones for vital communications in the aftermath of disasters because we offer reliable, global service in an easy-to-use and extremely mobile handset,” said Don Thoma, executive vice president, marketing, for Iridium. “That’s why we take this opportunity each year to encourage our customers to check out their satellite phones, to ensure batteries are fully charged and phones are working properly, and to review operating procedures for making and receiving satellite calls. If you’ve been deployed to respond to a disaster and you discover your battery is depleted or you can’t remember dialing procedures, your mission can be seriously hampered,” added Thoma. “It sounds straightforward, but we hear from users all the time that, in the heat of the moment, they simply forgot to test their phone, which is why we launched Test Your Satellite Phone Week four years ago.”

Iridium subscribers can call a toll-free number (00-1-480-752-5105) on any satellite phone to verify proper operation. Callers will hear a recorded voice message confirming they completed the call successfully and offering refresher tips for using the phones.