Satellite Phone

You may or may not know about Satellite Phones, however, if you are reading this, then you probably want to do some research on or you’re thinking of getting a Satellite Phone, correct? You are on a good page to know and get the best one for you

Which probably means you want and need insightful information to help you measure the pros and cons associated with the buying processing (or renting), owning and running a SatPhone, but first........

What Is A Satellite Phone

Circling Orbiting Satellite

Now, a Satellite Phone in a nutshell, works independent of location, covers a very wide area of a region, country, earth’s surface and even the seas, all at once including very remote areas that can be covered with just one orbiting satellite, to make a call.  Normal Mobile Phones cannot do this, yet.

  Why We Need Satellite Phones

But the bottom line is, a satellite phone is a vital safety tool, that keeps the line of communication open to you, your family and associates, while traveling around the world, in remote rural areas and areas where conventional signal coverage does not exist to use a normal Mobile Phone.

How Satellite Phones Work

How Do Satellite Phones Work? Mobile Phones require cellular towers, which connect with varying (and often disappearing) signal strength

Terrestrial cell site (Bet you've seen many around)

Circling Orbiting Satellite

However, World Satellite Phones don't rely on a terrestrial cell phone network. Instead, they beam their data directly to and from Satellites Orbiting Earth

Sat phones rely on a network of satellites that are either fixed above the Equator (GEOstationary) or in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) anywhere from 500 to 1,000 miles above the earth. More on GEO and LEO below as it affects your SatPhone usage

Constellation of Communication Satellites

There are many benefits to having a Satellite Phone. The following are excellent reasons why you should get one:

This technological leap unleashes Satellite Phones from the bonds restricting their Earth-based brethren

In locations where no Cell Phone towers exist, simply just step outside with your Satellite Phone to make a call for help at any time

This is why the Satellite Phone is especially valuable when it comes to time sensitive emergency situations

Frequent hurricane and earthquake prone areas?

When you’re outside of normal Mobile Phone range and you need to make that all-important call or text, why?   When you live in a or frequent hurricane and earthquake prone areas or….

….The local government in an area you live or are visiting, has recently released an impending disaster alert warning

To give your loved ones peace of mind that you are safe and doing ok, when you’re away from home, in a remote area with precarious potential. Satellite phones allow you to keep the lines of communication open

Whether you’re traveling across the country and lose reception in a sparsely populated area or on vacation in the backcountry

a satellite phone is, the only, great way to keep in contact with your family

Get SatPhone Power In Your Hand

Sparsely Populated Area

Thus, they are the communication devices of choice in areas with minimal or non-existent cell coverage, such as sparsely populated or poor countries

locations where governments restrict Mobile Phone and Internet access, or where natural disasters wreck ground-based systems

Where to buy Satellite Phones and who is the best Satellite Phone service provider for You The ability to allow the user to stay in touch from remote areas, with one another at a time of any emergency is boosting the demand for satellite phones across the world.  Plus in addition they ae more affordable than ever befor.

The Four Main Satellite Phone Network

The Four Main Satellite Phone Network Service Providers (below) give basically the same services, however in very different ways, with different kinds of coverage, quality and technology. 

Which Sat system is right for you?  Depends on where and how you will make and receive phone calls, and what other supplementary services you may require, such as satellite internet access, Satellite  calibrated configured constellation, connectivity for email, VoIP telephones, GSM and SMS messaging, to name a few.

The Two Types Of Satellites For SatPhones (GEOstationary) and Low Earth Orbit (LEO)

Some companies developed low Earth orbit (LEO) systems like Iridium and Globalstar. And others went with Geosynchronous Satellites like, Inmarsat and Thuraya for deferent reasons, each configured constellation, has its advantages and disadvantages.

Iridium extreme 9575 (LEO SatPhone)

Geo Satellites are massive powerful Satellites indeed, and because they are very far away from earth 22,000 miles (36,000 kilometers) just one of them alone can transmit service to a very wide geographical area of the Earth's surface. Now with a constellation of about only four GEO Satellites, service can be provided to most of the Earths surface. 

Globalstar GSP - 1700 Satellite Phone (LEO SatPhone)

And because of this difference in calibrated configured constellation Satellite Mobile Phone systems technologies work quite differently. It really depends on what company you are focusing on in relation to all the countries and places you plan to go

They transmit all sorts of Data such as voice calls, texting, video streaming, file sharing, television to mention just a few.  Now in terms of Satellite Mobile Phones Inmarsat and  Thuraya are 2 accepted Major companies that use geosynchronous configurations to provide Satellite Phone Services through out the world.

Thuraya XT Geo Satellite Phone

Geosynchronous Satellites also called High Earth Orbit Satellites or GEO Orbit Satellites are in sync with the earths rotation as it spins (hence the word Geo Geography and sync synchronised), which means that they remain and stay in a fixed spot in the sky.

Low Earth orbit (LEO) Satellites have much lower altitude, of up to 930 miles (1,500km), Iridium and Globalstar operate at these orbits.

If geosynchronous Satellites are the condors (can fly as high as 15000 feet) of the industry, LEO Satellites are the pigeons (can fly as high as 7000 feet). LEO Sats, much smaller and lighter, and there are a lot more of them in orbit.

Centred above the Earth's equator and maintaining a high altitude orbit of around 22,000 miles (35,000 kilometers) they're simply “out of this world” (literally)

Inmarsat Isatphone 2 (GEO SatPhone)

As we know how low the orbits of LEOs are, a satellite net work provider such as iridium, will need as many as 60 LEO satellites  to cover most of the world. So to maintain a consistent transmission to any position on the planet at any given time a SatPhone user may be in range of two or more of these satellites as they propel around the planet in space, at around 17,000 miles (27,359 kilometers) per hour, at these phenomenal speeds they circle the  Earth in roughly two hours.

Satellites fly above destructive storms

Sat phones are rarely affected by violent storms and, depending upon their system architecture, work virtually anywhere in the world. The devices weigh a few ounces and may be about the same size as your cell phone.

The different types of Satellite Orbits to help you know the Satphone you need

Depending on the Satellite constellation architecture of a given system, coverage may cover the entire Earth, or just specific regions.

The differences between normal and sat phones

As with Mobile Phones, terminals (SatPhones) have all basic phone features Yet, even though they are heavier and bulkier than cell phones some SatPhone handsets have a weight and size similar to those of the middle 80s...

Iridium 9555 LEO SatPhone

....but then again their primary function is not to look sexy with thrills and frills but more for safety and peace of mind among other critical essential things, most have large retractable antennae.

They aren't brimming with the nearly endless capabilities and functions that your smartphone has.

A sat phone is a stripped-down phone that you'll primarily use to place calls or send short text messages.

However in the last few years a number of recent satellite telephones are now alike in size to normal mobile phones even some have no difference from an ordinary SmartPhone.

Thuraya X5 Touch Best SatPhone and SmartPhone combo

Why are Satellite Phones more common?

As you would no doubt expect that SatPhone buyers are mostly public safety agencies, government and energy companies, shipping, search and rescue organizations.

However there is an increasing trend where a big number of private people are purchasing Satellite Phones as a safety net against becoming unable to communicate with the world

Some people in
the past may have
needed a satphone,
but couldn’t......

especially if they are with their families and loved ones because in some places where Mobiles Phones dare not wander - that's where Satellite Mobile Phones show us what they are made off.

A Satellite Phone can keep you and your family in touch during disasters and emergencies

When tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, and other natural disasters occur, and normal communication goes down, a SatPhone will always be working to call in the help do all the emergency evacuations and usual conducts of saving lives

Just relying on your SmartPhone, or even a landline phone could be detrimental as it could prove difficult to contact the others if not impossible

Inside your house during a hurricane at night, and internet, power, and telephones all go down and you’re with the family, who you gonna to call?  Not Ghostbusters, but a satellite Phone will save the day

SatPhones mostly, are in their element when used for  expeditions and explorations into remote areas where terrestrial normal mobile service is not available, Satellite Mobiles  allow mission-critical voice and data connectivity in the most extreme of conditions.

Holidays into remote places

Some people in the past may have needed a satphone, but couldn’t, now things are different as some major factors have now come into play, for instance there has been a heavy reduction in the cost of satellite phones and airtime over the past few years.