[Satellite TODAY 11-23-11] Iridium Communications has rolled out Iridium AxcessPoint Mail and Web applications for Apple operating system (iOS) devices to enable iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch products to connect to its satellite network, the MSS operator announced Nov. 22.

   The Iridium AxcessPoint applications for Apple devices are now available for free on Apple’s iTunes store. The Apple service rollout follows the launch of Iridium’s AxcessPoint Wi-Fi hotspot with BlackBerry support for Mac and Windows laptops in September.

   “Iridium AxcessPoint Mail and Web now provides a reliable email and Internet connection anywhere in the world for the more than 250 million Apple iOS device users,” Iridium Vice President of Product Management Joel Thompson said in a statement. “This first-of-its-kind capability embodies our Iridium ForceSM vision to extend handheld connectivity in places never before possible and through devices customers already own.  More and more we see enterprise, government and NGO organizations requiring connectivity for their employees regardless of their location on the planet.”

   Iridium AxcessPoint Mail and Web is part of the Iridium AxcessPoint suite of products. The Wi-Fi suite includes the Iridium AxcessPoint Wi-Fi hotspot accessory and the Iridium AxcessPoint Connect downloadable application.