Case Study: Network Innovations Enables Adventurers to Stay Connected from North Africa's Highest Mountain

Network Innovations provides safety and a connection to home for off-the-grid adventurers, utilizing Iridium's global network.

 The challenge

John Peck, a former Divisional Commander of Police in London and current adventurer, has led groups on expeditions to some of the most remote corners of the world. Over the past 20 years, John, Founder of Executive Stretch, has taken on a wide variety of challenges - from crossing the Atlantic Ocean in a rowing boat, to climbing to the summit of Mount Brandberg in Namibia.

Now, John works alongside Edd and Kat Smith, Directors of Executive Stretch, using his experience as an adventure coach to prepare their clients for both the challenges and thrills that come with pushing themselves outside of their comfort zone.

In October 2021, John, Edd, and Kat prepared for their upcoming expedition in sunny Morocco. Travelling with 11 clients, they set to climb the highest mountain in North Africa - Mount Toubkal. With the summit standing at 4,167 meters high, this would be a challenging, but exciting, adventure.

While the climb would offer its own set of challenges, the remote nature of the expedition created the need for reliable, available connectivity. To ensure not only safety, but emotional welfare, John and his group of adventurers needed a guaranteed connection.

Before embarking on their journey, Kat Smith commented: “As this is our first client trip to the area, we want to be certain that we have mobile signal. By bringing a satellite phone with us, we’ll have peace of mind.”

THE SOLUTION

Following the success of partnering with Network Innovations for over 3 years, John turned to them for a solution. Equipped with an Iridium Extreme 9575 satellite phone and freshly topped-up airtime, the group were ready to travel to Morocco, reassured by having constant and reliable communications at their fingertips.

Over 4 days, the group trekked their way up Mount Toubkal, with spectacular views of the surrounding Atlas Mountains. Always on and connected, the durable Iridium Extreme 9575 handset provided the perfect connectivity companion, enabling voice and data calls from the most remote locations.

Offering emergency response features such as a one-touch SOS button and GPS functionality, this solution provided John and the group with 24/7 connectivity and most importantly, peace of mind.

THE result

Beyond emergency situations, the team at Executive Stretch were able to share their location and information about the climb. Utilizing the global reach of the Iridium network, the group were able to call home from the summit of Mount Toubkal, sharing the achievement with their family and friends. What they described as a highlight of their trip.

With a reliable means of communication in hand, they could focus solely on the adventure in front of them – regardless of the time, place, or environmental conditions.

"It is a key part of our safety procedure to have a reliable method of communication. The satellite phone worked brilliantly for the whole group throughout our climb in Morocco.” - Edd Smith

Network Innovations looks forward to seeing what challenges await John, Edd, and Kat as they continue their adventures roaming the globe on a mission to inspire their clients to Succeed. Anywhere.