Whether it rings hollow or not, it can get otherwise innocent people a hot potato stuffed in the mouth or worse. India doesn’t like Iridium connectivity one iota, when it comes to personal devices in India. They have had a greater tolerance for Inmarsat, but that comes and goes in waves. These Garmin messengers use Iridium.

Either way, if visiting a country that has the death penalty and considering having one of these devices on trips to such country, make sure that the device use and/or mere possession of the device is not illegal. Because even if they don’t prosecute the owner/user of the device for ownership/use of such device, they may engage in some very questionable extrajudicial antics. And being an American isn’t necessarily going to save you from that even in countries that are strategic allies of sort.

And the restrictions applicable to satellite phones don’t necessarily exclude satellite messaging devices of this sort. Just something to consider for those who travel abroad and may have some interest in such communication capabilities.