|
Below, you'll find extensive information on leading
deepfield into the flood articles and products to help you on your way
to success.
Satellite Phones Vs Cell Phones (which One Is Right For You?)
By Rex Strong, Sat Dec 10th
There are several factors that differentiate satellite phonesfrom cell phones. How they work, their utility and cost just toname a few. Functionality Differences Cellular phones or cell phones use small stations or towersknown as ‘cells' from which they receive their signals andto which they send signals. As the user moves from onedestination to the next, his call or his cellular service ispassed on from cell to the next. The mobile handset is thus incontinuous connectivity with the different cells of the networkprovider and the individual can talk on the move. This is thusknown as mobile connectivity.
Satellite phones on the other hand, do not use ‘cells' ortowers. They work with satellites orbiting the Earth. These LowEarth Orbiting or LEO satellites receive signals from thesatellite phone handsets and send signals to these handsets asrequired. The satellite phones send signals to the satellite,which passes it on to a gateway. The gateway routes the calls tothe receiver. Also, all calls made to the satellite phones arerouted via the satellites. Differences In Area Coverage Cellular phone companies generally provide network coverage indensely populated areas. Since the companies have to set up‘cells' to be able to provide coverage, they need a highnumber of subscribers to justify setting up the cell. In thinlypopulated areas or remote areas with difficult terrains, thecost of providing coverage is often more than the expectedreturns. Hence, while cell phones work great in denselypopulated areas, they may or may not work in inaccessiblelocations. Satellite phones communicate with the LEO satellites and notwith any ‘cells' on Earth. Hence, the coverage provided bysatellite phone companies is far greater than that provided bycellular phone companies. Since satellite companies don't haveto set up cells from destination to destination, they offerservice in a wider area and some even offer it across the globe. Usability Differences Cell phones have become an absolute necessity for practicallyall urban residents. In fact, a large number of people areopting to have cell phones instead of the traditional landlines.Cell phones are perfect to use while on the move in metropolitancities. For marketing and sales executives, employees, CEOs,managers,
mothers, students and almost all people in differentwalks of life - cell phones provide a high value service. Theyare also a great option to surf the net, listen to music andexchange photos. In short, cell phones have become the singleall-purpose media electronic instrument of the 21st century. Satellite phones on the other hand, are perfect for use inremote and thinly populated areas where cellular companies donot provide network coverage. Satellite phones are alsoextremely handy in situations when cellular networks go down.Such situations generally arise in times of natural disasterslike hurricanes, earthquakes and floods when the ‘cells'that route calls are damaged. Satellite phones have the advantage in such conditions sincenatural disasters do not affect the LEO satellites. Hence whilecellular phone networks are down, satellite phones continue tofunction as normal. This has indeed saved many lives in therecent past. Satellite phones are also the perfect option for companies thathave research laboratories or departments in isolated areas likeAlaska, Siberia and Antartica. Adventurers who frequently travelto densely populated tropical forests, high mountain areas andacross oceans also prefer the better coverage provided bysatellite phones. Differences In Cost As is to be expected, cellular phones are far cheaper to operateand maintain than satellite phones. The cellular phone handsetsas well as the subscription plans offered by cellular serviceproviders are extremely affordable and cost barely a few centsper minute. Satellite phones on the other hand are expensive. The satellitephone hand sets or the fixed satellite phone sets cost a prettypenny as does the satellite phone service provided by leaders inthe industry like Iridium and Globalstar. At an averagesatellite phones can cost anything from $600 to $1000 with costsgoing up to $1.50 per minute for talktime. Thus, cell phones and satellite phones are both a boon to theworld of communication and both service users in different waysand under differing conditions. About the author:Rex Strong is the owner and operator of the website: www.satellitephonesite.com. His goal is to provide relevant informationabout satellite phones to the regular guy. If linking to theabove article please use the following hyperlink: Satellite Phones vs Cell Phones
|
