What you need to know
- The HMD OffGrid satellite accessory supports two-way SMS messaging, real-time tracking, check-in messages and SOS requests via Android or iOS phone.
- It supports coverage in North America, Europe and Australia/New Zealand.
- The device costs $199 plus $79 per year or $15 per month per satellite, depending on service level.
- It has three-day battery life, MIL-STD-810H reliability, and a companion messaging app.
HMD Global, the brand behind Nokia’s latest smartphones, is expanding into satellite messaging. At CES 2025, the company announced the HMD OffGrid, a satellite accessory for smartphones that looks and works similarly Motorola Defy Satellite Communications released in 2023.
HMD OffGrid uses L-band satellite via Viasat and Skylo (Defy uses the latter service). It sends messages, voice notes and tags in to friends and family from the OffGrid app.
Your SMS messages will be sent from your phone number, so no one else will have to download an app to contact you. And real-time tracking allows you to share your GPS location with up to 5 contacts – via a shared link – with the click of a button on OffGrid.
While the OffGrid HMD is rated to last three or four days on a single charge, that only applies to messages and checks at regular 30-minute intervals. Even though it has a 10-day battery backup, it will only last a day or two if you constantly use GPS and satellite for automatic 3-minute checks.
Most importantly for those who use this satellite dongle in areas without signal, it supports SOS signals through a dedicated SOS button on the device. Clicking it prompts a series of questions through Focus Point International, a 24-hour emergency service, such as: “Are you alone?”, “Where are you?” and “What happened?”
If necessary, Focus Point will dispatch Overwatch x Rescue to provide the necessary assistance and pay the bills for your rescue, although you will have to pay your own medical bills.
The satellite service covers the mainland and up to 70 miles offshore in participating regions such as the Americas, Europe, Australia and New Zealand, with new territories coming “throughout 2025,” HMD said.
“HMD OffGrid is a new, affordable, portable and easy-to-use offering that is both powerful and reliable, especially when it matters most,” says HMD Chairman and CEO Jean-Francis Baril. “Whether you’re hiking in the mountains or skiing off-piste, HMD OffGrid ensures you’ll never go off-grid.”
HMD OffGrid is IP68 dust and water resistant and also meets the MIL-STD-810H durability standard. It weighs 60g (2.1oz) and has a dedicated slot for a carabiner if you want to hang it on your backpack. It seems very comfortable to take with you when traveling overland, although we have the same design issues as the Defy: the exposed SOS button seems too easy to press without a case. Other satellite devices we’ve tested, e.g. Garmin GPSMAP 67i force you to remove the protective cover from the SOS button.
On top of OffGrid’s initial $199 cost, you’ll have to pay for HMD Unlimited or HMD Freedom to make this more than just a paperweight. Unlimited costs $14.99 per month for unlimited text messages and checks, and Freedom costs $79.99 per year with a 350-character limit for text messages, a $0.10 location logging fee, and an activation fee of US$20.
HMD also mentioned that it will offer some sort of enterprise program for OffGrid with unique features, although it didn’t go into detail.
While more phones and carriers are adding satellite or SOS services, starting with the iPhone 14 and Pixel 9 Pro To Verizon phonessomething like HMD OffGrid or Motorola Defy gives you access to the satellite without tying it to a specific device.
Given that the Defy received average reviews overall and had to survive the bankruptcy of Bullitt Satellite Messaging, which was acquired by another company in 2024, I’m sure outdoor enthusiasts will appreciate the HMD OffGrid as a potential alternative. The big question will be whether satellite coverage and messaging is working as intended.
For more information or to pre-order the OffGrid HMD, you can purchase the satellite device at HMD website.