Satellite Phone
A satellite telephone, satellite phone, or satphone is a mobile phone that communicates directly with orbiting communications satellites. Depending on the architecture of a particular system, coverage may include the entire Earth, or only specific regions.
The mobile equipment, also known as a terminal or earth station, varies widely. A satellite phone handset has a size and weight comparable to that of a late 1980s or early 1990s mobile phone, but usually with a large retractable antenna. These are popular on expeditions into remote areas where terrestrial cellular service is unavailable.
A fixed installation, such as used shipboard, may include large, rugged, rack-mounted electronics, and a steerable microwave antenna on the mast that automatically tracks the overhead satellites.
Satellite phones are usually issued with numbers in a special country calling code. For example, Inmarsat satellite phones are issued with codes +870 through +874, while Iridium satellite phones are issued with codes +881 6 and +881 7. Some satellite phones are issued with ordinary phone numbers, such as Globalstar satellite phones issued with U.S. telephone numbers.
Geostationary Services
Some satellite phones use satellites in geostationary orbit. These systems can maintain near-continuous global coverage with only three or four satellites, reducing the launch costs. The major satellite system in civilian use is Inmarsat.
The disadvantage of geostationary satellite systems is that because the satellite is so far away (approx. 22,000 miles), a comparatively large antenna system is required for signal transmission and reception. The physical phone system must therefore be quite large compared to current terrestrial mobile phones. They are similar in size to terrestrial mobile phones of the past.
One serious disadvantage of satellite phones is that the handheld units need a clear view of the sky. Thus they will not work inside buildings, cars or boats. External antennas are required for these uses.
LEO Telephones - Low Earth Orbit Satellite Technology
LEO telephones utilizes LEO (low Earth orbit) satellite technology. The advantages include providing worldwide wireless coverage with no gaps. Newer satellite phones tend to be LEOs. LEO satellites orbit the earth at high speed, low altitude orbits with an orbital time of 70–90 minutes, an altitude of 640 to 1120 kilometres (400 to 700 miles), and provide coverage cells. Since the satellites are not geosynchronous, they must fly complete orbits and thus further guarantee complete coverage over every area by at least one satellite at all times. Blimps are being considered as an alternative to satellites.
The two deployed LEO satellite systems are Iridium and Globalstar. Customer numbers for both systems never matched the levels required to fund the large number of satellite launch costs, and both went into bankruptcy. They are now operated by new owners who bought the assets for a fraction of their original cost.
There are several models of satellite phones available.
Satellite Phone Providers
Global Providers
Inmarsat is a long-respected "industrial-grade" provider, with voice and fax equipment installed in most sea-going vessels and many aircraft. They also provide ISDN services, famously used for news reporters' videophones during the 2003 Invasion of Iraq.
Globalstar and Iridium are recent entries to the market, having undergone financial restructuring since the dot-com collapse of the late 20th century. Most users access these systems using handheld phones for voice and low-speed data.
Regional Providers
MSat provides telephone, low-speed data, and voice dispatch service to North America, Central America, and the Caribbean. The bulky equipment is similar to that used by Inmarsat. MSat users are assigned a number in the North American Numbering Plan.
Thuraya has a coverage area focusing on Europe, northern and central Africa, and from the Middle East to Asia. Handsets used for the service are also compatible with GSM networks, and contain GPS receivers. Previous models are the Hughes HNS 7100, HNS 7101 and the ASCOM. Current models are the SO 2510, the SG 2520 and are currently the smallest satellite phones on the market (150 gr.) with GPRS capabilities. Thuraya also offers internet services with its ThurayaDSL (1.2 kg or 2.5 pounds) at speeds up to 144kbps all over its footprint.
ACeS (Asia Cellular Satellite) has coverage around Asia, it covers three of the major countries in Asia,China, India, and Indonesia, along with other countries (Pakistan, Japan, Malaysia, etc) around these three countries. The handsets used for ACeS' services can be use in ACeS network or any avaviable local GSM network that participated with ACES.
Other Providers
Teledesic was a proposed system supported by a partnership of many large players in the industry including Microsoft, Motorola, Nextel, Boeing, Matra Marconi Space and McCaw Cellular Communications. Motorola is the primary contractor. There were to be 288 satellites at an altitude of less than 800 miles and a data access of 64 megabits per second. It is particularly significant in its huge potential for broadband internet. As of November 2004 Teledesic has not gathered the required funding for satellite launches to begin.
Some of the content on this page is from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
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