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. Two bodies with a slight difference in mass orbiting around a common barycenter. ... U.S. military MILSTAR communications satellite A communications satellite (sometimes abbreviated to comsat) is an artificial satellite stationed in space for the purposes of telecommunications. ... This article is about Earth as a planet. ...

Satellite phone (Inmarsat)

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. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1312x2000, 2330 KB) Description: satellite phone (Inmarsat) Source: http://www. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1312x2000, 2330 KB) Description: satellite phone (Inmarsat) Source: http://www. ... Inmarsat is an international telecommunications company founded in 1979, originally as an intergovernmental organization. ... An Earth station is the ground based (terrestrial) end of a communications link to an object in space. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... For the band, see 1990s (band). ... A Yagi-Uda beam antenna Short Wave Curtain Antenna (Moosbrunn, Austria) A building rooftop supporting numerous dish and sectored mobile telecommunications antennas (Doncaster, Victoria, Australia) An antenna is a transducer designed to transmit or receive radio waves which are a class of electromagnetic waves. ...

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. Microwaves are electromagnetic waves with wavelengths longer than those of terahertz (THz) frequencies, but relatively short for radio waves. ...

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. This is a list of country calling codes defined by ITU-T recommendation E.164. ... Inmarsat is an international telecommunications company founded in 1979, originally as an intergovernmental organization. ... An Iridium phone (without the aerial) The Iridium satellite constellation is a system of 66 active communication satellites and spares around the Earth. ... Globalstar is a low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation for telephone and low-speed data communications, similar to (and competing with) the Iridium satellite system. ... The North American Numbering Plan (NANP) is an integrated telephone numbering plan of 24 countries and territories: the United States and its territories, Canada, Bermuda, and 16 Caribbean nations. ...

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 systems in civilian use are Inmarsat and Thuraya. Geostationary orbit A geostationary orbit (GEO) is a geosynchronous orbit directly above the Earths equator (0° latitude), with orbital eccentricity of zero. ... Uses of the word launch: A launch can be a type of boat: see launch (boat). ... Inmarsat is an international telecommunications company founded in 1979, originally as an intergovernmental organization. ... A Thuraya satellite phone Thuraya is a regional satellite phone provider, mainly focused on the Europe, Middle East, and Africa. ...

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.

Low Earth orbit

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. A low Earth orbit (LEO) is an orbit in which objects such as satellites are below intermediate circular orbit (ICO) and far below geostationary orbit, but typically around 350 - 1400 km above the Earths surface. ... A telephone handset A touch-tone telephone dial Telephone The telephone or phone (Greek: tele = far away and phone = voice) is a telecommunications device that transmits speech by means of electric signals. ... This article is about Earth as a planet. ... Two bodies with a slight difference in mass orbiting around a common barycenter. ... An Earth observation satellite, ERS 2 In the context of spaceflight, satellites are objects which have been placed into orbit by human endeavor. ... By the mid 20th century humans had achieved a mastery of technology sufficient to leave the surface of the Earth for the first time and explore space. ... Antarctica Oceania Africa Asia Europe North America South America Middle East Caribbean Central Asia East Asia North Asia South Asia Southeast Asia SW. Asia Australasia Melanesia Micronesia Polynesia Central America Latin America Northern America Americas C. Africa E. Africa N. Africa Southern Africa W. Africa C. Europe E. Europe N... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Altitude is the elevation of an object from a known level or datum. ... A minute is a unit of time equal to 1/60th of an hour and to 60 seconds. ... A mile is a unit of length, usually used to measure distance, in a number of different systems, including Imperial units, United States customary units and Norwegian/Swedish mil. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with geostationary orbit. ... “Blimp” redirects here. ...

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. An Iridium phone (without the aerial) The Iridium satellite constellation is a system of 66 active communication satellites and spares around the Earth. ... Globalstar is a low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation for telephone and low-speed data communications, similar to (and competing with) the Iridium satellite system. ... Notice of closure stuck on the door of a computer store the day after its parent company, Granville Technology Group Ltd, declared bankruptcy (strictly, put into administration—see text) in the United Kingdom. ... In business and accounting an asset is anything owned which can produce future economic benefit, whether in possession or by right to take possession, by a person or a group acting together, e. ...

There are several models of satellite phones available. There are several commercial satellite phone systems operating in 2004. ...

Calling costs

The cost of making calls from a satellite phone is usually quite high, while calling them from landlines and regular mobile phones is extremely expensive. Rates from landlines and mobile phones range from $3 to $14 per minute with Iridium and INMARSAT being some of the most expensive networks to call. The receiver of the call pays nothing, unless they are being called via a special reverse-charge service. Making calls between different satellite phone networks is also notoriously expensive with calling rates of up to $15 per minute. A landline or main line is a telephone line which travels through a solid medium, either metal wire or optical fibre. ...

Calls from satellite phones to landlines are usually around 80c to $1.50 per minute unless special offers are used. Such promotions are usually bound to a particular geographic area where traffic is low. Globalstar is currently offering unlimited calling plans until 2009 - something almost unheard of with satellite phones but their current network is highly unreliable and could be out of service sometime in 2008 ^[1].

All satellite phone networks have pre-paid plans, with vouchers ranging from $10 to $5000.

Satellite phones in popular culture

Satellite phones are said to be difficult to trace, making them a popular favorite for criminals. ^[2]

• Within the film Jurassic Park III, Paul Kirby lends his Globalstar satellite phone to mercenary M.B. Nash after a plane crash on Isla Sorna. A Spinosaurus eats Nash and the phone is later found in its feces.
• The satellite phone was also used many times on the show Relic Hunter. The main character, Sydney Fox, would use it to communicate back home when she found interesting relics.
• Phones both identified as satellite phones and those that appear to be satellite phones are often used on the television drama 24.
• A satellite phone appeared in the episode of Lost entitled "Catch-22".
• Similar phones appear in the action film Miami Vice.
• The satellite phone is also used in the film-based video game Scarface: The World is Yours.
• A satellite phone is used several times in Die Hard 4
• A satellite phone is used in the movie Jurassic Park 2, both by the Ingen operations(seen with a large dish) and by the Hammond researchers, when Ian Malcolm attempts to reach the boat because his daughter Kelly has snuck on the island without his permission.
• A satellite phone is used in the TV show Alias as a plot device in the first season.
• A satellite phone is used in the action film "Under Siege" to contact military officials.
• A sattelite phone is also used in the Anime Digimon Adventure: Children's Wargame. It was used by Izzy to connect his computer to the net after Infermon modified the NTT system.

Jurassic Park III is a 2001 film that is the third film as part of the Jurassic Park franchise. ... Globalstar is a low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation for telephone and low-speed data communications, similar to (and competing with) the Iridium satellite system. ... A Map of Isla Sorna Isla Sorna (Sarcasm Island in English), also known as Site B, is the second island containing dinosaurs owned by InGen, featured in the novel and film The Lost World and in the movie Jurassic Park III. // Isla Sorna is part of the island chain known... Species (type) ? Russell, 1996 Spinosaurus (meaning spine lizard) was a genus of theropod dinosaur that lived in what is now North Africa, from the Albian to early Cenomanian stages of the Cretaceous Period, about 95 to 93 million years ago. ... Horse feces Feces, faeces, or fæces (see spelling differences) is a waste product from an animals digestive tract expelled through the anus (or cloaca) during defecation. ... Relic Hunter is an American/Canadian/French television series, starring Tia Carrere and Christien Anholt. ... A relic is an object, especially a piece of the body or a personal item of someone of religious significance, carefully preserved with an air of veneration as a tangible memorial, Relics are an important aspect of Buddhism, some denominations of Christianity, Hinduism, shamanism, and many other personal belief systems. ... 24 is an Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning American television series created by Joel Surnow and Robert Cochran, and produced by Imagine Television. ... Lost is an Emmy Award and Golden Globe-winning American serial drama television series that follows the lives of plane crash survivors on a mysterious tropical island, after a passenger jet flying between Australia and the United States crashes somewhere in the South Pacific. ... For the 2006 video game, see Miami Vice: The Game. ... Die Hard 4. ... Alias is an American Spy-fi television series created by J. J. Abrams which was broadcast on ABC from September 30, 2001 to May 22, 2006, spanning five seasons. ... A plot device is a person or an object introduced to a story to affect or advance the plot. ...

References