Article by Pat Schrawder
THE LATEST ON SATELLITE PHONES
Last week, we talked about satellite phones in general- their design, how they work, etc. If you missed it, you can go on the Coastal Fisherman’s website at: www.coastalfisherman.net and find the May 25th edition under “Issues”. There you will see last weeks “Ship To Shore” column. With that information in hand, let’s look at the major players in the satellite phone business, their phones and their service plans.
Inmarsat started in 1979 and provides very good coverage from a network of geosynchronous satellites. Known primarily for their fixed station satellite phones, their hardware is larger and more expensive to purchase, and their service plans are mostly higher in cost. However, Inmarsat provides the greatest range of voice and data features. They have recently introduced a 2nd generation “IsatPhone Pro” portable that will cover North America with phone, voice mail, text messaging and email. The phone runs around $600 and measures roughly 7x2x1.5. It advertises 8 hours of talk time and 100 hours in stand-by. Service for this phone starts at $15/month with talk time costing .99 per minute.
Iridium began service in 1998 but met with some business plan problems that resulted in it filing for bankruptcy in 1999. However, they were purchased by another company and restarted operations in 2001 with improved phones and prices.
Today, they are the only satellite phone company offering total planetary coverage with their 66 satellite LEO system. Their service rates have become very competitive. They start at $39.99/month with an airtime rate of $1.39/minute.
Globalstar also uses LEO satellites and put up several additional satellites in 2009. They too have re-emerged from bankruptcy. Today, they offer the least expensive phones and plans. They offer you a US phone number with no country codes but their coverage is a great deal less, covering only Canada, the Continental US, Eastern Caribbean, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Alaska. However, they have experienced problems with dropped calls and service gaps.
Researching the various satellite companies and plans can drive you a little crazy. Each company touts theirs as the best, of course, and the plans are hard to compare since they have different packages. Quite honestly, I am surprised that it has not become more standardized by now. Perhaps the prospect of cellular towers being placed on satellites has created some sluggishness among the manufacturers.
If your boating takes you into a lot of areas that are not reliably covered with other communications devices, then a satellite phone may be just the thing for you. However, you need to check them all out before committing to buy. Prices are changing frequently.
Right now, several cellular companies offer something they call a “global phone” or “world phone” that uses CDMA and Dual Band or Quad Band GSM technology and UMTS. They are small like your cell phone and will enable you to make and receive phone calls in 205 or more countries. The process is basically one of using that country’s cellular network to pass through the call. It is somewhat complicated, but it works. You need to contact the cellular company, such as Verizon, and make sure the phone will work in the area(s) to which you are traveling. You can also verify the rates. You can purchase a Global Ready phone to use as your regular cell phone and add international service to it, or you can rent one of these phones in the same way you can rent satellite phones. At this time, if I didn’t need a satellite phone except on certain occasions, I would be inclined to rent one, or rent one of the cellular global phones when I needed it.
If you have decided to get a satellite phone, be sure to consider several things such as: cost, security deposit if any, activation fee, monthly service rate, cost of calls, roaming costs, whether or not you are charged for both incoming and outgoing calls, area of coverage, capability of sending both voice and data, speed of data communication and whether there is any airtime included in your monthly service rate. Most importantly, ascertain whether or not the phone can be expected to both make and receive calls in the area to which you are traveling.
Pat and her husband Larry are owners of L&L Marine Electronics on Golf Course Road in West Ocean City, MD.
