Whale Wars using satellite communications

The Discovery Channel has been showing a show called Whale wars. It's about a ship called the Sea Shepherd which floats around the ocean trying to stop Fishing Ships from catching Whales. According to the website Ecorazzi, they use the Iridium Openport for communications:

"Iridium OpenPort Satellite Communications
Beyond antagonizing the Japanese whaling fleet, the Sea Shepherd are also attempting to send back immediate video and pictures of illegal whaling in the Antarctic.

One such device that allows them to do that with relative ease is an Iridium OpenPort device. Specifically created for maritime use, the OpenPort allows ships like the Ady Gil to have an "always on" connection with the outside world. Though its data speed of 128kbps is painfully slow compared to high-speed broadband, it's nonetheless a feat of engineering to upload much of anything when you're in the middle of the Antarctic Ocean.

Unlike your sometimes-'bad' cell phone signal, the Sea Shepherd will always have a way to dial home or send updates. Iridium has more than 66 satellites in space, offering pole-to-pole global coverage."