How come cellular phones sometimes cannot reach an aircrafts Iridium phone?
Personal cell phone services often have limitations. These limitations affect regular calls, as well as calls to aircraft. The main thing you need to know is that any direct call to an Iridium phone number is considered an international call. This could expose two limitations. First, your cellular plan may not allow international calls. Second, your cellular provider may not recognize the Iridium country code (8816). Because of these limitations, and the higher cost of international calls, Aircell suggests “two-stage calling.” Two-stage calling can be the least expensive way to call the aircraft from the USA. Here’s how it works. You first dial 1.480.768.2500. Then at the prompt, enter the 12-digit Iridium number (8816.XXX.XXXXX). The calling party is only billed for a domestic long-distance call to Tempe, AZ. The party in the aircraft is only charged for airtime, often just $1.60 per minute or even less, depending on their Aircell Rate Plan.
