10 Things you need to know before you rent a satellite phone
May 18, 2007 (Press Release) --
1)You can rent a satellite phone or you can buy one:
You should base your decision on your length and frequency of need. If you just need a satellite phone once or twice a year for a week or 2 each time then clearly renting is best, but if you are renting 3 times a year or more then you should look at buying.
2)Not all satellite phones work in all places:
Make sure that you choose the right Satellite Phone Service for the area or country you are going to be visiting. For example Iridium service covers the entire globe, excluding only Poland, Cuba & North Korea.
3)You must be able to see the sky on order to get a connection and make a call:
Satellite phones will not work inside a building or underground. They will also not work well if you are surrounded by trees, tall buildings or at the bottom of a valley. Note that if you are going to be in a vehicle or boat you can get external antennas to get service.
4)Terrorists steal Satellite Phones:
If you are going to an active war zone then I strongly recommend taking a Satellite Phone with a prepaid sim card. Satellite phones are the preferred method of communication for terrorists, who often look to steal satellite phones so they can communicate with each other and the media for free.
5)You can get email and surf the web through a Satellite Phone:
Globalstar and Iridium satellite phones do offer internet access, with the use of data kits, but connection speeds are slow.
6)Take a power supply with you:
If you are going hiking, hunting, fishing or on any other trip where you will not have ready access to a power supply then make sure to get a portable solar charger.
7)SMS and Satellite Phones:
Most Satellite phones can receive SMS messages. Most companies do not charge to receive messages, but sending a message from a satellite phone can cost 50 cents per message or more. The use of SMS can save a lot of money as opposed to actual voice calls.
8)Check rates before calling a Satellite Phone from your fixed line or cell phone:
Placing calls to a satellite phone from a regular fixed line phone or cell phone can be extremely expensive, so if you are going to call a sat phone I suggest you check with your Long Distance or Wireless provider first. A great way to save money is with the Iridium network which offers 2 stage calling. It works like this, the person who wants to call you just calls a US number and then enters your Satellite Phone number. With this method they just pay regular US long distance rates, and you just get each minute used deducted from your rental or prepaid plan at regular rates.
9)Take care when calling from one Satellite Phone Service to another:
Calling from one sat phone network to another (example placing a call to a Globalstar phone from an InMarsat phone) can be very expensive, up to $12 a minute or more, so check the rates before you call and don't get a nasty shock.
10)Use Globalstar when in the USA:
Voice calling in USA best service is with Globalstar
You should base your decision on your length and frequency of need. If you just need a satellite phone once or twice a year for a week or 2 each time then clearly renting is best, but if you are renting 3 times a year or more then you should look at buying.
2)Not all satellite phones work in all places:
Make sure that you choose the right Satellite Phone Service for the area or country you are going to be visiting. For example Iridium service covers the entire globe, excluding only Poland, Cuba & North Korea.
3)You must be able to see the sky on order to get a connection and make a call:
Satellite phones will not work inside a building or underground. They will also not work well if you are surrounded by trees, tall buildings or at the bottom of a valley. Note that if you are going to be in a vehicle or boat you can get external antennas to get service.
4)Terrorists steal Satellite Phones:
If you are going to an active war zone then I strongly recommend taking a Satellite Phone with a prepaid sim card. Satellite phones are the preferred method of communication for terrorists, who often look to steal satellite phones so they can communicate with each other and the media for free.
5)You can get email and surf the web through a Satellite Phone:
Globalstar and Iridium satellite phones do offer internet access, with the use of data kits, but connection speeds are slow.
6)Take a power supply with you:
If you are going hiking, hunting, fishing or on any other trip where you will not have ready access to a power supply then make sure to get a portable solar charger.
7)SMS and Satellite Phones:
Most Satellite phones can receive SMS messages. Most companies do not charge to receive messages, but sending a message from a satellite phone can cost 50 cents per message or more. The use of SMS can save a lot of money as opposed to actual voice calls.
8)Check rates before calling a Satellite Phone from your fixed line or cell phone:
Placing calls to a satellite phone from a regular fixed line phone or cell phone can be extremely expensive, so if you are going to call a sat phone I suggest you check with your Long Distance or Wireless provider first. A great way to save money is with the Iridium network which offers 2 stage calling. It works like this, the person who wants to call you just calls a US number and then enters your Satellite Phone number. With this method they just pay regular US long distance rates, and you just get each minute used deducted from your rental or prepaid plan at regular rates.
9)Take care when calling from one Satellite Phone Service to another:
Calling from one sat phone network to another (example placing a call to a Globalstar phone from an InMarsat phone) can be very expensive, up to $12 a minute or more, so check the rates before you call and don't get a nasty shock.
10)Use Globalstar when in the USA:
Voice calling in USA best service is with Globalstar
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