world travellers stay in touch (1 Viewer)

[bigfoot]

Those of you travelling the world and need to keep in touch then a satellite phone may be what you want.I don't know how good it will be for data.
http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/121549-thuraya-satsleeve-pictures-and-hands-on

 

[journeyman]

Interesting idea Bigfoot. From experience they have very expensive running costs for a normal domestic user. That being said, if your travelling in remote areas, they can be a life saver. You would need to weigh up the cost versus risk level. I note quite a few members travel around N. Africa, perhaps that type of product might come into my planning as a fall back option in dire circumstances if I was over there.

The particular provider, "Thuraya" has some blackspots and limitations that you would need to be aware of before investing in one. Iridium is a more favoured system.

This is the Wiki extract on costs.

The cost of making voice calls from a satellite phone varies from around $0.15 to $2 per minute, while calling them from landlines and regular mobile phones is more expensive. Costs for data transmissions (particularly broadband data) can be much higher. Rates from landlines and mobile phones range from $3 to $14 per minute with Iridium, Thuraya[19] and INMARSAT being some of the most expensive networks to call. The receiver of the call pays nothing, unless he is being called via a special reverse-charge service.

Making calls between different satellite phone networks is often similarly expensive, with calling rates of up to $15 per minute. Calls from satellite phones to landlines are usually around $0.80 to $1.50 per minute unless special offers are used. Such promotions are usually bound to a particular geographic area where traffic is low. Most satellite phone networks have pre-paid plans, with vouchers ranging from $100 to $5,000.

 

[vwalan]

havent found a country in north africa that you cant use your mobile . in fact the more desolate in the desert the better signal you get . i find theres more dead spots close to a busy big town than in the wilds .

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[bigfoot]

havent found a country in north africa that you cant use your mobile . in fact the more desolate in the desert the better signal you get . i find theres more dead spots close to a busy big town than in the wilds .

I agree we got fantastic coverage in the more remoter parts of Mongolia!
The original sat phone system was Iridium but with a lack of uptake they 'dropped' some of the birds to burn out on re-entry. There was a rescue bid but now I think it won't belong until we see some more shooting stars.