Renting vs Buying Satellite Phones
The decision to buy or rent satellite phones has to be made
keeping in mind several factors. Satellite phones are often the
only means of communication available to industries related to
maritime operations, mining, oil and aviation. They also play a
crucial role during times of natural calamities or for disaster
management efforts. Hence the decision to rent or buy a
satellite phone must be made keeping in mind the circumstances
and usage of the phone itself.
Firstly, one needs to evaluate whether the need for the
satellite phone is temporary, recurring or permanent. In case of
travelers or adventurers the need is often just temporary. You
are going for a one-off vacation to the Sahara desert and a
satellite phone is a must. For people with jobs that
continuously take them to remote areas like war correspondents
working in the field or national geographic documentary
photographers, the need for a satellite phone is recurring. And
lastly, for corporations and companies that have offices in
isolated areas the need for satellite phones is permanent.
Simple logic dictates that when the need is temporary it is
better to simply rent a satellite phone rather than invest in
buying one. For recurring users and permanent office use, buying
is obviously the better solution.
Secondly, you also need to estimate your usage. If on a one off
trip also, you intend to use the phone extensively you may need
to re-evaluate your decision. The difference in cost per minute
between buying and renting the satellite phones can be quite
large. If you have high usage it may actually be more beneficial
for you to buy the phone rather than keep paying rental fees.
Thirdly, cost can be another factor to determine whether you
want to buy or rent a satellite phone. Buying a satellite phone
and airtime is an expensive affair. Renting is much cheaper in
the short term. Also, rates of satellite phones and airtime
charges are decreasing by the day. Some people may prefer to
play the waiting game and go rental instead of buying.
Buying a satellite phone can put you back by about a $1000. Add
to that the cost of buying extra batteries, a charger, a carry
case and an extra antenna and you are looking at anything from
$2000 - $2500. Renting a satellite phone on the other hand will
cost you barely $30-$50 / week. On the other hand, most
satellite phone rental companies require you to rent the phone
for at least a week. Also, they count the rent period as
starting from the day the phone is shipped to you to the day
they receive it back. Lastly, prepaid airtime on a rented phone
can cost almost double the cost of getting a good plan for your
own phone.
So, whether you decide to buy a satellite phone or rent one is
dependent on several factors and only you can decide which
option is best for you!