Clunky satellite phones reminiscent of the bulky Nokia’s you’d carry around in the 90’s could soon become a thing of the past with Beam Communications’ (ASX: BCC) sexier tech offering.

Beam’s joint venture company ZOLEO is well and truly changing the satellite phone game for adventurers the world over.

The ZOLEO Satellite Communicator is an affordable device that extends smartphone messaging coverage to anywhere on earth. The Iridium satellite communications based device is designed to keep you safe and connected while travelling beyond mobile coverage, even offering built in safety features on the device itself.

Once the unit is purchased an active subscription plan is required for the transmission of messages via their smartphone app. ZOLEO offers three tiers of service to suit different needs.

The latest addition to the tech is the advent of a new subscription-based offering, Location Share+. The new feature enables users to share their location with up to five trusted contacts at certain time intervals. Contacts can check their loved one’s location via the app and view a full breadcrumb trail on a map.

Location Share+ is available for a monthly fee of $7.95 and is available immediately.

President of ZOLEO Inc, Morris Shawn said “Location Share+ was built in response to market feedback. While all ZOLEO users can add their location coordinates to a message on demand, some users also valued enhanced tracking that would let them share real-time updates with close contacts, on a selected interval, and have their current location and full breadcrumb trail displayed on a map.”

Managing Director of Beam and Vice President of ZOLEO Inc, Michael Capocchi said “The beauty of ZOLEO lies in the simplicity and intuitiveness of the experience, and that is what has really resonated with customers.

“Location Share+ was designed with the same ease of use in mind, providing enhanced options to let others know how the user is progressing on their trip, and offer complete control over when and with whom that information is shared.”

Last month, Australia Post joined the list of major retailers and over 100 stores selling ZOLEO in Australia alone. The device will be primarily sold at regional locations to support those living and working in areas on the fringe of mobile coverage.

Beam reported a threefold increase in sales of the ZOLEO device in their quarterly activities report.