Who Else Wants to Know How Satellite Phones Work?
How Do Satellite Phones Work?
When an individual makes a call from a satellite phone the
signal is sent to the satellites of that particular company.
These satellites process the call and relay it back to Earth via
a gateway. The gateway then routes the call to its destination
using the regular landline and cellular networks. The Globalstar
constellation is made up of 48 satellites and every call is
relayed by up to 4 satellites down to Globalstar gateways on
Earth. Clifton, Texas is home to one of the major Globalstar
gateway that services the US.
If an individual uses a satellite phone to call another
satellite phone then the call is sent up to the satellite from
the caller's phone. The satellite then routes the call back down
to the receiver's phone without using any land infrastructure.
Thus, satellite phones on the same network can be used to call
each other without using any landline or cellular phone
infrastructures.
One important thing to keep in mind with satellite phones is
that the phone or the phone's antenna must be located in the
open to allow it to have an unobstructed view of the sky.
Satellite phones require a clear line-of-sight view of the
satellite to be able to send and receive signals from the
satellite. While Iridium phones use a non-directional antenna,
which means that the antenna need not point in any particular
direction, Inmarsat uses geostationary satellites. In this case,
the phone's antenna must point directly at the satellite with a
clear, unobstructed view to get transmission.
What Are Hand Held Satellite Phones?
Hand held satellite phones provide the same convenience as
cellular phone with one major difference. While cellular phones
provide interrupted service if you are out of the networked
area, satellite phones cover a much larger network area and
provide you with a personal, portable communication device with
uninterrupted service.
Hand held satellite phones are optimum for adventure travelers,
rescue operations and in times of disaster management.
What Are Fixed Site Satellite Phones?
Fixed site satellite phones are like regular landlines except
they use satellites instead of local infrastructure to route
calls. The big advantage they have over hand held satellite
phones is that they can work from inside buildings and homes.
The antenna is placed on the roof or any other spot that allows
the antenna to have a clear line-of-sight view of the satellite.
Thus, in a world where effective communication is the key to
success, satellite phones ensure you never have to be out of
touch.