Thursday, February 21, 2008

Growing Market Of Satellite Phones

Satellite phone service providers, who dominate the satellite phone market, are all competing for a bigger slice of the growing market of satellite phones. There are various service offerings that are available with each company stronger in one sector of the marketplace than another due to the technical answers used by each to provide global, or almost global, telecommunications coverage.

There are some popular names you will see most frequently when researching satellite phone technology are Inmarsat, Iridium, and Globalstar. One can easily select a satellite phone easily, since each gives you clear idea and helps you refine your search for the satellite phone service that best suits your needs.

Inmarsat is the world's first global mobile satellite communication operator and offers a matured range of modern communication services to maritime, land-mobile, aeronautical, and many other users. It is formed 20 years ago as an international maritime organization. Inmarsat was reorganized as a limited company in 1999, and has broadened its customer base since then.

Iridium is considered as the only provider of truly global, truly mobile satellite voice, and data solutions with complete coverage of the Earth, including oceans, airways and Polar Regions. Iridium is based on the fact that they have a constellation of 66 Low Earth Orbiting (LEO) satellites. Iridium providers pitch their services most heavily towards business users in heavy construction, defense/military, emergency services, maritime, mining, forestry, oil and gas, and aviation.

Globalstar has launched their commercial services in 1999 and today their handsets are most widely used all over the world. They offer you few benefits like you can use these phones in over 100 countries on six continents, as well as from most territorial waters and several mid-ocean regions. Globalstar signals are received by the company's constellation of 48 Low Earth Orbiting (LEO) satellites and relayed to ground-based gateways, which then pass the call on to the terrestrial telephone network.

Handsets are most popular for voice calls, but usually offer lower data transfer speeds while communication. Larger laptop style terminals are also used widely and offer you in various purposes which include fax, Internet, and video. They are developed to be more stable to suffer less from dropped signal problems.

Marine and aviation are specialized environments, so it's best to stick to the equipment designed for these settings. If your traffic is chiefly voice calls and picking up email, you probably don't need the more expensive higher speed data transfer services on offer. The more speed and features you go in for, such as fax services, the higher the cost.

Convenient Communications Equipment For Satellites

Handheld satellite phones are handheld communications equipment. They are more convenient than other satellite phones, because they work even while the person is on the move. With handheld satellite phones, the user need not remain stationary and check for the satellite signal.

There are a lot of brands available in the market such as Motorola, Qualcomm, Thrane & Thrane, and Nera, which provide good quality handheld satellite phone systems. Handheld satellite phones are easy to use like mobile phones and have a lot of useful features.

For instance, Motorola 9505 weighs 14 ounces and measures 6.25 x 2.5 x 2.4 inches. These phones have features like call waiting, voice mails, and memory storage.

There are phones that can also be used as normal cell phones. These phones switch from satellite networks to cellular networks according to the network coverage available.

There is a wide range of satellite products to choose from. Global service providers Iridium, and Globalstar offer portable satellite phones at very affordable prices. These phones are getting better and better every year. They have become smaller, lighter, and cheaper than their previous models and are incorporated with additional features. The handheld phones are more wear-resistant and hence are suitable for rugged outdoor conditions. You need not always purchase a handset when you need one, as there are handheld satellite phones available for rental on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.

Satellite phones have various features like illuminated graphic display, alpha and numeric memory storage, call barring and forwarding options, signal strength meter, and many more. Hand held satellite phones provide upto 30 hours of standby time and around 3.2 hours of talk time. Handheld phones also have accessories such as headsets that make it hands-free. This feature is most convenient for people who are constantly on the move, and those who are wide users of satellite handheld phones.

Satellite Phones provides detailed information on Handheld Satellite Phones, Satellite Phone Plans, Satellite Phone Rentals, Satellite Phone Services and more. Satellite Phones is affiliated with Satellite Radio Reviews.