Satellite Phone Plans

Satellite phone, also referred to as satphone is a mobile phone which connects to the orbiting satellites. You can either buy a new satellite phone or rent it online. These phones are mainly used in areas where terrestrial cellular service is unavailable. They have poor reception windows, hence these phones come with external antennas that are installed in vehicles or buildings.

Some Satellite Phone Plans
Different satellite phone service providers provide different plans to their customers, out of which the most suitable one is chosen by the customer. The satellite network providers offer competitive packages. These satellite phone plans include prepaid phone plans, monthly plans, hibernation plans, satellite phone service plans, satellite cell phone plans, etc. The provider companies have different offers like novel package deals, prepaid calling cards, free e-mails, free text messaging, voice mail, etc. Sometimes, a few companies offer more number of calls in the service agreement itself. The companies have different plans for outgoing calls, while they allow unlimited incoming calls free of charge. Customers are charged according to the number of minutes they use the satellite phone. This way customer is charged only for their usage and additional bills are avoided. Some people use satellite phones heavily while some them use it sparingly.

In an express data phone plan, the data is transmitted at a higher rate. Normally, the transmission speed is 9.6 kbps. But, with the express data phone line, the data can be transmitted at a speed of 56 kbps. The Liberty plan is mainly for those customers who use phone lines only in a specific situation. But their usage in that specific situation is very essential. It is mainly suitable for emergency management or seasonal customers. A plan called burst plan increases the number of minutes after it has exceeded a specific count of call minutes or call costs. This acts like a boon to the customers who use these phones heavily as they get a bonus number of minutes on the calls they make.

Depending on the coverage area, it is decided whether the user should be connected to terrestrial GSM networks or to satellite connections. The coverage area might include only a few specific regions or it might include the whole earth. It also depends on the architecture of the system. Some satellite phones have the provision of switching to satellite mode only when there is no service in a particular area or when you come in the range of any special satellite area. This also helps to save the cost of calls.

Difference Between the Working of Satellite Phone and Cellular Phone
Satellite phones and cellular phones are both wireless phones. They look very similar but their functioning is different. In cell phones, the whole network is divided in to small areas called cells and hence, the name. In each cell, an antenna is installed which is also referred to as tower. When a cellular phone moves from one cell to another, it sends a signal to mobile telephone switching office (MTSO). The MTSO refers to the database and relocates the cellphone in a new cell. Like satellite phone service providers, cell phone providers also have different cell phone plans.

Satellite phones on the other hand, make use of the low earth orbiting satellites (LEO). When the satellite phone is switched on, a signal is sent to the group with which the phone is registered. When the call is made, a signal is sent to the nearest orbiting satellite. In turn, the satellite connects to the gateway or the ground station which carries the call to the final destination.

There are many types of communication mediums that available now, such as, Internet telephone, cell phones, short distance communication walkie talkies, etc however, properly and well chosen satellite phone plans can help in saving some money which can be utilized for some other purposes. With satellite phones, you can stay connected to your near and dear ones, even if you are at the other end of the globe.