Satellite Phone

Satellite Phone - To Buy or Rent

2006-12-26T05:21:00.000-08:00

There are innumerable brands available of which the following are worthwhile: (1) Globalstar, (2) Iridium, (3) Inmarsat, (4) Thuraya, (5) Pelican, (6) RBGAN, and (7) NERA. The price of a satellite phone handset ranges from $275 to $9500 depending upon the type of services provided. A voice and slow access data phone handset will attract the minimum price whereas a high quality voice together with a real fast data transfer will cost much more, may be from $5500 to $9500. Data cables, SIM Cards etc., cost you more. The rates are on the basis of (1) rate of incoming calls and, (2) rate of outgoing calls per minute. Most companies do not charge, or, charge very little connection charges. In addition they also slap on you a service charge every time you renew.

In case you want to rent, may be you are called to pay $45 to $ 475 per week towards rental; depending primarily on the type of handset you want. Whether you use it or not, you may have to pay an average daily minimum usage of 3 minutes, and in some cases, even more. Some satellite phone companies require you to pay weekly insurance, which, in all probability, will cost you between $25 to $45 per week!

Iridium does not charge you any connection charges. However, they charge $.21 towards monthly subscription. Suppose you talk from your Iridium handset to another Iridium handset within the United States, you may have to shell out $.50 per minute. In the event of the call being an international one, you may have to pay $1.50 per minute. In all other cases where you talk from your Iridium handset to various other satellite phone systems, the charges are an exorbitant $8.50 per minute.

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The Legacy Of The Satellite Phone

2006-12-25T03:16:00.000-08:00

Satellite phones today are of great use if you are already getting rid of your obsolete telephones at home or your miserable cellular phones due to signal failures.

It was in the early 1960 to 1990’s that the satellite phone was introduced to the market. But before its arrival let us first trace its origin by glancing at its brief history.

The pioneering satellite phone that offer the first ever planetary coverage is known as the Iridium Satellite Phone, which until now still exists. The name Iridium was derived from the chemical element in your periodic table, Iridium with an atomic number of 77. In the beginning it consists of 72 active constellations but at present it has only 66 active satellites.

Unlike other satellite phones, Iridium is the only constellation that allows the planetary coverage. This is because of its inter-satellite links that the other satellite phones do not possess. But this is not global because there are some countries that do not have the network yet.

The original design of the Iridium came out as early as 1960’s with control and time-triggered messages over its orbit and it will be uploaded each time the satellites pass through the pole. But it was found out that this design did not offer the sufficient bandwidth so it was turn down in the market.

Since it is considered to be the pioneer of the satellite phones, it paves the way of other companies to discover new models of mobile phones. There starts the development of the Motorola.

It was on November 1, 1998 that the Iridium Communications service was launched and due to insufficient demand for the service and poor management, a tremendous bankruptcy took place on August 13, 1999. The worse thing that happened was, since there was the bankruptcy that is why whether big or small investors nobody receive a return of their investment. It was a gamble of money.

Numerous unqualified inquires came in for the purchase of Iridium until 2001 when a group of private investors founded Iridium Satellite LLC and re-established service. Due to necessary effort that was made by the Iridium companies, gradually it recovered from its collapse.

From that point, there are other several satellite telephone communications that came into market. One is the Globalstar, but it is of a lower earth orbit satellite constellation because it only consists of 48 satellites. As compared to Iridium, it has no inter-satellite that is why it has no capacity to have the entire planetary coverage.

The first satellite of the Globalstar was launched in February 1998. It repeated the same failures like of the Iridium which also cause to its bankruptcy. But in order to regain the trust of their investors they also make several moves to settle the matter. And it was in the year 2001 when they even had a meeting with their creditors.

Aside from the Iridium and the Globalstar, other satellite telephone communications companies are also starting to make a name in the market. They all have the credibility that must be presented to the investors so that they will not be repeating the failures that have committed by the pioneering constellations.

The history of the Satellite phone is boosting towards the development of the technological innovations in the world. Who knows, places that are excluded from the network will be placed in the list few years from now?

Nicola Kennedy publishes articles and reports and provides news, views and information about communications and Satellite Telephones at Satellite Telephones Information.

Companies that Offer Satellite Phones

2006-12-11T09:11:00.000-08:00

In a world where there is no worthwhile landline connectivity or cellular services available in nearly 80% of the land mass, leave alone the oceans, the seas, the mountains, the forests and the deserts; you need a really efficient telephone service that works anywhere and everywhere! The answer is satellite phone! You can reach any area on earth with relative ease. Well, who are the people who offer such a breathtaking technology? Let us see:

(1)Iridium Satellite:

Voice and data solutions are offered by Iridium satellite practically to every nook and cranny of earth, inclusive of oceans, mountains, forests, deserts etc! They are, in essence, the only voice and data solutions provider of global magnitude. They have sixty-six Low Earth Orbiting (LEO) Satellites, cross-linked, covering the entire earth. They have services specifically for heavy industries and government customers. They also have a special data services with a 2.4 kbps throughput and direct Internet data services with a 10 kbps throughput. Their handset is very compact weighing less than 21bs, which enables easy mobility.

(2)Thuraya Satellite Phone:

Good handset, can reach remote areas. They, however, are concentrating more in the Middle East Region. Handset is compact. It is a Satellite – Cell Phone! Europe, Africa Middle East is covered.

(3)Inmarsat Mini M Satellite Phone:

It is designed as a laptop and therefore a bit bulky though it is sturdy. The drawback is that you cannot use it from a speeding vehicle; or, for that matter cannot access from Artic or Antarctic regions.

(4)Globalstar:

They have about 48 satellites orbiting the earth. Wide coverage, therefore, possible. They are the ones who offer the most cost effective services, which, of course, is possible because most of the time they access their cellular network. Satellite is used only when it has lost a signal. The coverage is not substantial.

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Handheld Satellite Phones

2006-12-03T05:52:00.000-08:00

Handheld satellite phones are handheld communications equipment. They are more convenient than other satellite phones, because they work even while the person is on the move. With handheld satellite phones, the user need not remain stationary and check for the satellite signal.

There are a lot of brands available in the market such as Motorola, Qualcomm, Thrane & Thrane, and Nera, which provide good quality handheld satellite phone systems. Handheld satellite phones are easy to use like mobile phones and have a lot of useful features.

For instance, Motorola 9505 weighs 14 ounces and measures 6.25 x 2.5 x 2.4 inches. These phones have features like call waiting, voice mails, and memory storage.

There are phones that can also be used as normal cell phones. These phones switch from satellite networks to cellular networks according to the network coverage available.

There is a wide range of satellite products to choose from. Global service providers Iridium, and Globalstar offer portable satellite phones at very affordable prices. These phones are getting better and better every year. They have become smaller, lighter, and cheaper than their previous models and are incorporated with additional features. The handheld phones are more wear-resistant and hence are suitable for rugged outdoor conditions. You need not always purchase a handset when you need one, as there are handheld satellite phones available for rental on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.

Satellite phones have various features like illuminated graphic display, alpha and numeric memory storage, call barring and forwarding options, signal strength meter, and many more. Hand held satellite phones provide upto 30 hours of standby time and around 3.2 hours of talk time. Handheld phones also have accessories such as headsets that make it hands-free. This feature is most convenient for people who are constantly on the move, and those who are wide users of satellite handheld phones.

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Satellite Phone Rentals

2006-11-29T03:53:00.000-08:00

For communication access in remote areas, where there is no cellular coverage, satellite phone rentals are considered ideal low-cost solutions. Rental plans can be selected on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. Short term phone rentals are ideal for people who plan fishing and hunting trips in remote regions, travelers going abroad for a short time, and the like.

If your itinerary has areas that fall under cellular non-coverage range, but you still want to stay in touch, renting a satellite phone is the best option. Satellite phone rentals are aplenty and come with various schemes so as to suit everyone’s needs. Renting satellite phones is always an attractive option than buying one due to the low cost incurred. Globalstar, Inmarsat, and Iridium satellite networks offer wide range of satellite phone rentals to choose from. These global service providers provide international service at affordable costs.

Rental programs come with many attractive deals and discounts. Most don’t charge activation fees and go easy on roaming costs. Many rental programs have free accessories included. For instance, renting Iridium 9500 or 9505 enables you to get incoming Short Messaging Service (SMS), voice mail, AC travel charger, leather holster, and high capacity batteries for free. The package also includes accessories available at flat rates. It is a common feature for phone dealers to offer free extra batteries and even free extra days of usage.

If you are drifting in and out of cellular coverage in the North American region, renting a Globalstar GSP1600 is the right thing to do. With an airtime of $1.55 per minute, it covers U.S and Caribbean. The rental cost is $35 per week.

When you want to rent satellite phones, you can start with selecting the phone service provider. While Globalstar is ideal for U.S., Canada, and Caribbean, Irridium is good for rentals outside Continental U.S., Canada, and Caribbean. One can also have the options of pre-paid and post-paid airtime to choose from.

Satellite Phone Services

2006-11-25T02:41:00.000-08:00

Satellite phone service providers, who dominate the satellite phone market, are all competing for a bigger slice of the growing market of satellite phones. There are various service offerings that are available with each company stronger in one sector of the marketplace than another due to the technical answers used by each to provide global, or almost global, telecommunications coverage.

There are some popular names you will see most frequently when researching satellite phone technology are Inmarsat, Iridium, and Globalstar. One can easily select a satellite phone easily, since each gives you clear idea and helps you refine your search for the satellite phone service that best suits your needs.

Inmarsat is the world's first global mobile satellite communication operator and offers a matured range of modern communication services to maritime, land-mobile, aeronautical, and many other users. It is formed 20 years ago as an international maritime organization. Inmarsat was reorganized as a limited company in 1999, and has broadened its customer base since then.

Iridium is considered as the only provider of truly global, truly mobile satellite voice, and data solutions with complete coverage of the Earth, including oceans, airways and Polar Regions. Iridium is based on the fact that they have a constellation of 66 Low Earth Orbiting (LEO) satellites. Iridium providers pitch their services most heavily towards business users in heavy construction, defense/military, emergency services, maritime, mining, forestry, oil and gas, and aviation.

Globalstar has launched their commercial services in 1999 and today their handsets are most widely used all over the world. They offer you few benefits like you can use these phones in over 100 countries on six continents, as well as from most territorial waters and several mid-ocean regions. Globalstar signals are received by the company's constellation of 48 Low Earth Orbiting (LEO) satellites and relayed to ground-based gateways, which then pass the call on to the terrestrial telephone network.

Handsets are most popular for voice calls, but usually offer lower data transfer speeds while communication. Larger laptop style terminals are also used widely and offer you in various purposes which include fax, Internet, and video. They are developed to be more stable to suffer less from dropped signal problems.

Marine and aviation are specialized environments, so it's best to stick to the equipment designed for these settings. If your traffic is chiefly voice calls and picking up email, you probably don't need the more expensive higher speed data transfer services on offer. The more speed and features you go in for, such as fax services, the higher the cost.

Satellite Phone Systems

2006-11-12T04:13:00.000-08:00

Satellite phone systems are now getting popular because of the need for people to communicate even from the remote corner of the world. Communication is taking new strides of its own and mere cable connections and radio lines are not able to satisfy the growing need for wider coverage.

Satellite phone systems are now necessary, because the cable lines cannot be fixed to all the parts of the earth and the bandwidth of radio frequencies, which connected most of the parts on the surface of the earth, is exhausted. The satellite phone systems include Low Earth Orbiting (LEO) satellites. LEO satellites are preferred to geo stationary satellites because the latter introduces delay. This delay introduced by geo stationary satellite can vary with the distance at which it is placed. The least delay is about 0.5 seconds and this is a major disadvantage of geo stationary satellites so we go in for LEO satellites that have become a part and parcel of the satellite phone systems.

The system of satellite phones include not a single LEO satellite, but a constellation of LEO satellites, this is done because the LEO satellites are placed close to the earth and so they revolve faster than the earth making them invisible at times. So when one satellite is moving out of the horizon, another LEO satellite comes up close by to receive the calls.

The technology implemented by the satellite phones depends on the type of service providers like GlobalStar systems and Iridium systems. Satellite phone systems also include the various techniques used for the transmission of data, be it audio or video signals.

Some companies like the Iridium uses time division multiple access scheme to increase the number of calls that can be attended. It has satellite-to-satellite connections as a part of the phone systems thus handsets work directly with the satellites. Another satellite phones system, the GlobalStar implements new digital technology called code division multiple access and satellites for attending the traffic of calls.

In this system, satellites are used only as relay stations that is, they receive and forward calls to the gateways on the earth and the call reaches the public switched telephone network. Regardless of the technology used, the main aim of the satellite phone systems and service providers is to keep their customers in contact wherever they go.

Satellite Phone Sales

2006-11-07T01:43:00.000-08:00

Geostationary satellite phones versus civilian use satellite phones

Although satellite telephones can be used for geostationary orbit connecting the whole world with only three or four satellites, the most popular civilian system is Inmarsat. Geostationary satellite phone requires a large antenna system for signal receipt and transmission. This makes the entire system inconveniently large and affects mobility and ease of use, quite adversely. Civilian satellite phones such Inmarsat, is quite handy to use and does not require such a large system of antenna. However, every satellite hand held phone system suffers from a big disadvantage that they need a clear link with the sky and are unusable inside a building. Here the requirement will be that of external antenna and it makes the whole process quite cumbersome and costly too.

Satellite phones using Low Earth Orbit technology

These satellite phones have the rare advantage of covering the world without wire and without any gaps. Low Earth Orbit satellites go round the earth at a very high speed but at lower altitude with an orbital time of around 90 minutes. The altitude at which these satellites move are somewhere between 600 to 1,150 Kms. The original two LEO systems are Iridium and Gobalstar could not become popular.

Satellite phones models

Satellite phones have been quite popular in films and stage shows. They are available in various models and come from divergent brands. The most popular ones are Globalstar, Iridium, and Inmarsat. A prospective user need not always purchase one since satellite phones on rental are also available. Satellite phones can also be purchased by ordering online. Most of the providers also have the system of same day delivery or door delivery, as preferred by the customers. In addition they offer attractive plans to gain customer support like no deposits, an extra free battery, and unlimited use with no bundled minutes, fastest shipping, and many more. An example is the International Cell Phone rental package offered by some, that provides connectivity to 130 countries with pulse rate payment ranging from 89 cents to $1.69.

Transition from commercial to consumer use

At the start of the millennium, satellite phones were yet to make a big headway and most of the providers were struggling for self-sufficiency. The most pertinent reason behind such a state of affairs was the high payable cost and high payable pulse rate. For example the Globalstar handheld phone cost around $1,200 and the pulse rate payable was $2.49 per minute. Inmarsat was also providing a bulky suitcase set at $3,000 to $10,000. Therefore, initially the users of satellite phones were the Government and big business houses. They used the satellite phone services to approach remote areas having none other means of communication. Even the rental charges in 2001 were an unfriendly $159 per week with call charges at $3.99 per minute. However, over the past five years there has been a sea change in this area. The first popular service of satellite phone system was provided by Iridum with a cost of $1,995 or the same was available on rent at $19.99 per month. The pulse rate payment was a reasonable $1.99 and these rates were much lower than earlier rates charged for satellite phones.

The initial steps in transition from commercial to consumer based satellite phones took place in 2001 with the launching of Iridium World Data Services. It provided for dial up throughput of 2.4 kbps and direct Internet data throughput at about 10 kbps. A package with a pulse rate payment of 99 cents per minute was also introduced. And the most important addition was the prepaid phone service at an average pulse rate of $1.09 per minute. The satellite phone service, originally opened for Government only, has now become open to the private customers. Today, providers like Globalstar has reduced the satellite phone costs by 80% of its cost in 2001.

The user scenario

However, the largest user till date of satellite phones is the Military. Today, Globalstar provides handheld satellite phone at $645, and sets are available at a lower price of $599. The 2006 Inmarsat has voice and high speed data service. But the cost is higher at $1,650, with the advantage that it provides for BGAN services not available till now. This technology eliminates the necessity to use terminals that earlier cost a customer nearly $8,000. The advantage of this technology is clear digital voice and high speed data transfer. Gradually, the popularity of satellite phones started increasing and the average revenue collection marked at 30% increase for the industries involved. With a 60% downfall in the rentals for satellite phones, the consumer strength has multiplied into virtual millions. The growing consciousness among prospective customers about the ease of transmission of data and voice through the satellite service has resulted in further growth of the satellite phones industry in the United States. The growth has been indicating an upward trend for last five years.

Dawn of a new era in wireless communications

Recently the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), has granted authority to offer ancillary terrestrial component services (ATC) in favor of Globalstar. As a result, the Globalstar is eligible to set up ATC base stations and mobile terminals. Globalstar today provides a small lightweight dual mode handset with both satellite and ATC modes. It uses 11 MHZ of its 1.6 /2.4 GHz satellite radio frequencies for the terrestrial wireless service. The advantage is that this allows the phone to work in dual mode. Inside a vehicle the phone set will work in ATC or terrestrial mode and outside it will work in satellite mode. The first modified dual mode demonstration was made in New York in 2002. Even when the local telephone infrastructure stands disrupted, the satellite phone system can provide seamless communications. However, the Globalstar satellite phone system is not without limitations. It cannot be used like a common cellular phone in a building or in a vehicle. The inventors are now in search of a handheld phone that has no dead spots and works everywhere. Another requirement in present day circumstances is adding broadband data and multi media applications to seamless strata of wireless communication. However, that is in a distant future, while the current satellite phone service has to be used outdoors with at least 80% view of the sky or using an external antenna.

Use of satellite telephone different from each other

Ordinarily you require the same type of satellite phones in entire group to communicate properly. There can be no use of two types of satellite phones in part. Otherwise the system of communication would be in a round about way. For example calling a Globalstar phone from an Iridium phone will sent the call to first the Iridium constellation and then to an Iridium gateway. Then it will go through a land line to the Globalstar gateway. Sometimes the required gateway gets disrupted and difficulties are experienced in communication. Globalstar has a constellation of 48 Low Earth Orbiting satellites. It covers 120 countries and has the one of the best transmission quality. Iridium has a constellation of 66 Low Earth Orbiting satellites and a planetary coverage. The Inmarsat use portable terminals with Geo-stationary satellites. This set up is quite simple and user friendly.

Satellite phones for emergencies

In these days of hurricanes, terrorism, and power failure, everyone should be in readiness to address any unforeseen emergencies. The preparedness is most essential since the local phones have a tendency to die down just when needed most in an emergency. There is no such problem with satellite phones. Satellite telephones are not subject to vagaries of nature and can be used any time any where with ease and this may have a real value during the worst of emergencies.

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