Satellite Phone vs. Cell Phone

Current Satellite Phone:

Bought December 2005 from Iridium.  Cost $1999.00US (Air Time Extra)
Model: Iridium
Weight: approx. 375g

The Cell Phone or Satellite Phone question comes up all the time.  In a perfect world, we would like to carry just one phone that is small, light, easy on battery power and works everywhere in the world.  At this point in time this does not exist.  The cell phone is great for most of the world.  Cell phones are small and light.  Cell phones are very efficient and allows many minutes of talk and stand-by time.  The GSM network covers large areas and even remote areas quite well.  So why not just carry a cell phone?

When you travel like we do, and enter new countries every few weeks, it makes it difficult to keep your cell phone connected.  Not all countries will allow your phone to roam unless you change the SIM card and activate it with the local provider.  Some countries also do not have a very stable network for cell phone coverage.  We carry a phone for emergency purposes only, and we need the phone to work 100% of the time when we use it.

We carry an Iridium 9505A Satellite phone.  This phone has coverage for 100% of the world including the oceans.  As long as you have an unobstructed view of the sky you can send or receive a call from anywhere in the world.  The phone number remains the same no matter where you are.  You can receive text messages for free sent from any computer on the internet directly to the phone.

The satellite phone is bigger then a cell phone and does not have the talk and stand-by time of a cell phone.  Calls on the Satellite phone are expensive compared to a cell phone.  Compared to a cell phone the satellite phone is not very convenient to use, but it does work everywhere in the world all the time, and that is the little piece of security that we like.

In addition we purchase pre-paid calling card from Iridium Plan Global 500, which is a 12 months term, 500 minutes for $795US.

For more information visit Nikon's website at www.Iridium.com.

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