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Smaller installations using VoIP over a two-way satellite broadband service such as BGAN or VSAT bring the costs within the reach of leisure vessel owners. A fixed installation, such as one used aboard a ship, may include large, rugged, rack-mounted electronics, and a steerable microwave antenna on the mast that automatically tracks the overhead satellites.

Nonetheless, satellite phones are still considered a useful tool for communicating in remote areas. This can hinder connections from the interior of buildings or vehicles, areas close to tall buildings or dense vegetation, and in deep valleys or canyons. Additionally, satellite phones typically require an unobstructed view of the sky in order to operate effectively. They do not consistently offer the day-to-day Internet access of today’s smart phones. However, satellite phones are also not advocated as a replacement for cell phones, as they have been criticized as bulky and cumbersome. Satphones are popular on expeditions into remote areas where terrestrial cellular service is unavailable. More recent satellite phones are similar in size to a regular mobile phone while some prototype satellite phones have no distinguishable difference from an ordinary smartphone. Early satellite phone handsets had a size and weight comparable to that of a late-1980s or early-1990s mobile phone, but usually with a large retractable antenna. The mobile equipment, also known as a terminal, satellite phone or sat phone, varies widely. Minutes can be prepaid or bought via monthly airtime contract, and are often categorized as less expensive than foreign roaming charges on a typical cell network.ĭepending on the architecture of a particular system, coverage may include the entire Earth or only specific regions. Due to the satellite architecture, these phones can essentially work anywhere in the world, greatly assisting organizations operating in locations that lack a reliable communications infrastructure.

This network of satellites is either “fixed above the Equator (geostationary), or in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) anywhere from 500 to 1,000 miles above the earth.” Satellite phones are therefore not reliant on cell towers that can be damaged by natural disasters or may be non-existent in remote locations.

They do not route calls through land-based cellular towers like traditional mobile phones rather, they transmit data through satellites orbiting the planet. Satellite phones offer call and SMS text messaging communication services and low-bandwidth internet access are supported through most systems. Satellite phones are a technology proven to facilitate communications in remote destinations, making sat phones ideal for wilderness adventure seekers, sailors, or teams responsible for emergency preparedness and contingency planning.