Satellite phones
A satellite phone is a kind of mobile communication device that is much like a cell phone but it connects via satellites orbiting outside of the Earth’s atmosphere as opposed to the cellular towers located across the Earth’s surface. A satellite phone is needed when the user is traveling to remote areas where standard cellular service would not be available or when an absolute availability and continuity of service is essential.
When satellite phones began to be used they resembled the size, shape, and weight of the bulky cell phones that were common in the late 1980s and early 1990s. They typically had a long retractable antenna that aided in receiving and sending communication signals. Today, satellite phone technology has allowed for smaller phones that are the general size of a typical cell phone. Up and coming technology in satellite phones shows no immediately distinguishable difference in the look of the satellite phones from that of cell phones.
Some satellite cellular services offer coverage over the whole Earth, while others offer service in specific regions. The coverage depends on the location of the satellites for that particular network.
Satellite phones which you transmission satellites in geosynchronous orbit can offer almost continuous global service coverage with only about three to four satellites. The satellites themselves are extremely heavy, so they are quite costly to construct and launch, however, since there are only a few satellites used, the actually launch cost is reduced. The way these satellites are able to offer a global coverage with only a few satellites is that they are actually positioned twenty-two thousand miles above the earth's surface.
The bandwidth of geosynchronous satellites is higher than other systems. These systems can also provide portable satellite Internet capabilities by using terminals the size of a lap-top. The speed of the Internet connectivity ranges from 60 KB to 512 KB.
A problem with the geostationary satellite systems is that even when a large amount of sky is available, if the line of sight between the satellite and the phone/laptop is blocked by an obstacle such as a mountain, steep hill, or forested area, the user will have to find higher ground in order to make a connection.
A slight inconvenience with these systems is that the high altitude of the satellites causes a noticeable delay while using data services or making a voice call.
Another problem with satellite systems that are geostationary is that in a number of regions, even where there is a big expanse of open sky, the line of sight from the phone to the satellite is hindered by obstacles such as forests and steep hills and the user has to locate a higher spot before using the phone. This doesn't happen with Low Earth Orbit (LEO) services - even if the signal is blocked by something, a person can wait just a couple of minutes for another satellite to pass overhead
When using a satellite phone while in areas where no other communication is available, especially when there might be a need to call for emergency assistance, the low Earth orbit, or LEO, satellites provide faster coverage that covers all areas without service gaps. If there is a time when there isn’t coverage while there is full access to the sky, the user need only to wait a few minutes until another satellite comes into range, which never takes very long. LEO satellites orbit the earth at a high rate of speed, completing it’s orbital time in 70-90 minutes. They are positioned much lower in the sky at only 400 to 700 miles in altitude. A significantly higher number of satellites are used for these systems.
The cost of making calls from a satellite phone range from 15¢ to $2 per minute. Calling a satellite phone from a standard phone, such as a landline or cellular phone, can cost anywhere from $3 to an astronomical $14 per minute. When making calls between two satellite phones on different systems, the price per minute soars to the $15 per minute range.
Satellite phones vary significantly with service availability, plans, features, and coverage options. Because competition is growing, a wise buyer will be careful to carefully compare plans ans contact each company being considered to ask if there are any specials that are currently being offered for the location the phone will be used in.
Satellite phones are a long way off from cell phones, but the safety and security you will feel while out of touch with the rest of the world makes them a worthy investment and essential tool.