[Satellite TODAY 09-13-11] Stratos Global has added the Iridium Extreme satellite phone to its commercial product line and will begin shipping the handset from all of its international warehouses, the company announced Sept. 12.

   Stratos, which carries nearly 50,000 Iridium subscribers around the globe, said the addition of the Iridium Extreme phone would be supported by Stratos’ Advantage suite of value-added services.

   Stratos also announced it would be offering the Iridium AxcessPoint accessory – a lightweight, portable device that connects Iridium phones to smart phones, tablets and laptops to establish a Wi-Fi hotspot anywhere in the world. Iridium AxcessPoint is scheduled for commercial launch in the fourth quarter of 2011.

   Iridium Extreme and Iridium AxcessPoint are part of the Iridium Force product line initiative, which the mobile satellite operator launched in early September.