The Ultimate Handheld Sat Phone
An independent study of three latest-generation handheld satellite phones has validated Inmarsat’s claims for IsatPhone Pro, and concluded that it outperforms the Iridium 9555 and Thuraya XT in a number of critical areas.
The global research programme, commissioned by Inmarsat, was conducted over a two-month period in 16 locations around the world by TelAstra, Inc., an international telecommunications consultancy with extensive experience of satellite communications. They undertook a fully-independent comparison study of the three satellite phones using the six published claims made by Inmarsat for IsatPhone Pro: global coverage; robust handset; clear voice quality; reliable network connection; long battery life; and ease of use.
“All the satphones have pluses and minuses, and all of them would be acceptable with various limitations,” said Roger Rusch, TelAstra, Inc. “But unquestionably, IsatPhone Pro is the best. It works everywhere and is the most rugged. The voice quality is excellent, it has a reliable network connection, and the longest battery life of the three satphones. It is also easy to use.
“Although we were not asked to compare the price of the satphones or satphone services, it appears that IsatPhone Pro prices are significantly less expensive, and the service rates appear to be highly competitive as well. IsatPhone Pro would be our choice regardless of affordability or any other single issue,” he said.
Read the full report here: www.globaltelesat.co.uk/satphone/satellite-phone-comparison-study.pdf
Courtesy of www.inmarsat.com
Inmarsat have announced that they have contracted Boeing to construct “The Inmarsat-5s” – a new satellite constellation consisting of 3 satellites. This move is part of a $1.2 billion investment to create a global wireless broadband network called Global Xpress.
These satellites will be the first commercial global satellites to operate in the high frequency Ka-band. Inmarsat will be able to take advantage of the increased bandwidth available to offer download speeds of 50Mbps and upload speeds of 5Mbps which will revolutionise data usage within the satellite communications industry. Currently Inmarsat can only achieve download speeds of around 0.5Mbps with its BGAN X-Stream Service.
These services will be available as soon as 2014 and the satellites have a lifespan of approximately 15 years.
Global Telesat Communications are pleased to announce that they will be offering the new IsatPhone Pro from Inmarsat for rental from August 2010. Offering near global coverage the phone is great for those who temporarily need a sat phone solution.
The IsatPhone Pro is easy to use and can be used to send and receive voice calls and SMS and GPS co-ordinates can also be sent via SMS to let people know of your location. The phone also boasts the longest battery life in the sat phone market – up to 8 hours talk time and up to 100 hours standby.
IsatPhone Pro
Rental calls cost from £0.75 per minute and there is a refundable deposit payable of £400. The cost of any calls made will be taken off the deposit at the end of your rental period. Providing the phone is returned in good condition rental deposits are usually returned the same day the phone is received back to GTC.
Please contact us to organise your IsatPhone Pro rental. We will pleased to be answer your questions on which sat phone and airtime plan is best for your rental requirements.
Global Telesat Communications is pleased to announce that we now have airtime rates available for the new IsatPhone Pro. Inmarsat are proving very competitive with their sat phone call charges on both pre-paid and post-paid airtime for their Global Satellite Phone Service (GSPS).
Other satellite networks such as Iridium and Thuraya offer a range of validity periods on different vouchers which can become confusing. Inmarsatare offering a flat two year validity on all pre-paid vouchers, even the smaller denominations. This is great for customers who only use their sat phone in emergencies but don’t want to lose their credit if they don’t use it. What’s more the rate per minute works out to be good value with costs varying from £0.61 – £1.00 per minute to fixed lines depending on the volume of airtime you buy.
A drawback for some pre-paid users will be that currently pre-paid service may not be used for calls within, from or to the United States. This will be resolved at a later date.
All other satellite phone networks offer a standard contract with a 12 month minimum period. Inmarsat are breaking boundaries by offering 3 different contracts, all with no activation fee and two of which have no minimum term! This makes the IsatPhonevery flexible for those occasional users. For those who frequently use their sat phone Inmarsat is offering two plans which have inclusive minutes making call costs even cheaper. Call costs to a fixed line range from £0.60 – £0.66 per minute depending on which plan you choose.
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Summary of IsatPhone Pro Post-Paid Plans
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Standard Plan
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Allowance 20 Plan
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Allowance 60 Plan
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| Monthly Fee |
$20.00
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$35.00
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$60.00
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| Inclusive Minutes Each Month |
0
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20*
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60**
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| Minimum Contract Duration (Months) |
0
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0
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12
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| * Allowance for Voice to Fixed traffic only. No rollover of unused minutes. | |||
| ** Allowance is for mobile originated traffic to fixed/cellular/voicemail/GSPS/SPS/BGAN/FBB/SBB. No rollover of unused minutes. | |||
We have already had some questions as to why you would choose the Standard Plan when there are no inclusive minutes, why not just choose pre-paid? Well, the advantage that post-paid always has over pre-paid vouchers is that you do not have to worry about topping up your airtime, running out of credit or losing credit after validity periods have ended – you will always be able to make a call. Considering there is no minimum contract on the Standard Plan it is still a very flexible option for occasional users.
Global Telesat Communications are proud to be a verified bronze partner of Inmarsatwhich is why you can trust us with your IsatPhone Pro handset and airtime purchase.
For those who frequently require internet connection in remote locations using a satellite terminal on the Inmarsat BGAN satellite network is a good choice with their portable terminals, fast data speeds and very reliable service.
But what about those who will only occasionally want to use a data connection while in remote locations? It is little known that satellite phones can also provide data services. Although the speed will not be as fast as Inmarsat BGAN, if you only require need data services every now and then, a satellite phone will suffice and will be a much cheaper alternative to BGAN. Every Iridium and Thuraya sat phone that we stock is capable of sending emails directly from the phone and the Thuraya SG-2520 even has an in-built browser meaning you don’t need to connect to your laptop to use the internet.
Iridium offers a data speed of 9.6kbps and each Iridium 9555 comes with a USB cable to connect to your laptop making data connections with your sat phone very simple. Thuraya’s basic data service offers speeds of up to 9.6kbps. However, their GmPRS service offers enhanced speeds of up to 60kbps (downlink) at an additional fee making data connections with your satellite phone more viable. With GmPRS you are charged by the volume of data you send and receive rather than the duration of the data call (as is the case with Thuraya’s basic data service). Uplink speeds are available at up to 15kbps. The GmPRS service is available on both post-paid and pre-paid data SIM cards.
As with Iridium phones, all Thuraya phones come with the data cables required to set-up your data connection quickly and easily.
So if you need to send and receive emails or browse the web while on the move a satellite phone could be just what you need. If you are not sure whether a sat phone or a satellite terminal would best suit your needs why not contact us with your questions?
Inmarsat have made the first phone call from their new IsatPhone Pro – a satellite phone which will be launched to coincide with the global expansion of their Inmarsat SPS (Satellite Phone Service) in June 2010. The IsatPhone Pro will improve on the original IsatPhone with new features such as Bluetooth for hands free use and improved battery life.
Not only is the launch of the IsatPhone Pro a significant milestone for Inmarsat, it will alter the satellite communications industry as a whole. Currently Iridium is the only provider of global satellite phone services and consequently equipment and airtime is priced higher than other providers such as Thuraya and the current Inmarsat SPS service. It will be interesting to see how this increased competition in global satellite voice services will affect prices – it could be that increased competition leads to a fall in prices making satellite communications even more accessible to customers.
The Inmarsat IsatPhone Pro will be available from Global Telesat Communications in June 2010. Due to the anticipated high demand please register your interest to ensure early delivery.