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Top Satellite
Phone Services for
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Rex
Strong
Telecommunications Editor
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How
to Use a Satellite
Phone Service?
Using a satellite phone service does not
require the intelligence quotient of a genius and nor
is it rocket science.
Like most other consumer electronics it is extremely
simple to use a satellite phone. Satellite phones are
user friendly and mostly similar to cellular phones.
What do I need to get started?
A satellite phone, a SIM card and a service plan and
a charger. Once you have your satellite phone you will
need to insert the SIM card and charge the battery. Exactly
as you do with cellular phones. All satellite phone companies
provide detailed instructions on how to use the handsets
so do take a few minutes to read the manual.
How do I make calls from satellite phones and to a satellite
phone?
Again, this is extremely simple. All satellite phone
companies give you your ‘satellite phone number’,
which is what you dial to make a call from a landline
to a satellite phone.
Calls to satellite phones are considered as International
calls so United States residents will have to dial ‘011’,
which is the International Direct Dial or IDD code for
the US. 011 is generally followed by the code for the
particular satellite phone company – 8816 for Iridium
and then the 8 digit satellite phone number. Calls from
countries other than the US to a satellite phone generally
begin with ‘00’.
To make a call from the satellite phone to a landline
phone in any country you need to dial ‘00’ followed
by the country code, area code and phone number.
To make a call from a satellite phone to a satellite
phone you need to dial ’00’ and the satellite
phone code and number.
Positioning the antenna
With satellite phones a clear line-of-site of the satellite
is absolutely essential. So you need to always ensure
that the antenna of your satellite phone handset is
pointing towards the sky and there are no obstacles
that obstruct a clear connection with the satellites.
For fixed satellite phones the antennas are generally
separate from the phone units themselves. So the antennas
can be placed on the roof of the building or the deck
of a ship for clear line-of-site view of the satellite.
Using a rented satellite phone
You can either rent a satellite phone with the service
plan included or just rent the handset and buy your
own prepaid card. The latter option is almost always
a better option and saves you a lot of trouble. You
then pay rent only for the satellite phone and any
accessories like extra batteries and chargers. The
satellite phone call charges are pre paid by yourself
so you need not worry about being overcharged for usage.
Charging a satellite phone
Satellite phones work on batteries just like cellular
phones. So you will need to keep the phone charged.
When traveling to remote locations it is generally
recommended that you carry an extra battery. Solar
chargers are also a good option.
Thus, using satellite phones is just like using any
other phone and should not cause you any trouble.
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