You may have previously thought that calling a satellite phone is as easy as 1,2,3. It does involve dialing numbers, but it also includes a few more steps.
It’s also important to keep in mind that the calls come at a higher cost so you aren’t unpleasantly surprised by your outrageous phone bill for the next month. As for the string of numbers, they are the satellite carrier is identified by the prefix followed by the number of the phone itself.
Let’s take a further look at how to call a sat phone.
How Do You Call a Satellite Phone?
Get a Clear View
By a clear view, we mean a clear view of the sky (since you cannot see the satellite with your naked eye). Make sure there are no obstructions as it could delay or even block the signal. Having a clear view of the sky will give you the best chance at a stable connection.
Dialing the Number
As mentioned before, each satellite service provider has its own prefix, for example:
Inmarsat: 870
Thuraya: 82216
Iridium: 881
What is similar to using a cell phone is you need the international dialing code first, then the prefix of the satellite service provider, then the phone number itself (which is usually an 8-9 digit number).
Satellite Phone Collect
Some satellite phones have a collect calling program [1]. This is when the recipient of the call absorbs the charges and a land-based number is assigned to a satellite phone.
The phone number that you choose should mirror the country where you live, work, or where your family resides for the most convenience. All you need to do to dial is the press 1, then the 9 digit phone number assigned to the phone. It will be like you’re calling a local number, and the charges may be less expensive.
The Difference between To and From
To make things easier, we’re going to use Iridium phones as a reference for this section.
When you are calling using an Iridium satellite phone, you need the country code + area code + phone number. This is quite similar to dialing overseas.
For people looking to call an Iridium satellite phone, you need 011 + Iridium’s dialing code (if you refer to our list above, it’s 881) then the sat phone number. To know the correct number sequence and to identify the calling codes, use this tool to help.
The Price of the Calls
The rates, according to voipmechanic, can range from $0.15 to $2 every minute, with the average rates around $0.80 to $1.50 depending on your provider and plan. You can look into better deals as some service providers offer lower rates for certain geographic areas.
What’s known to be the most expensive would be satellite phones calling each other from different networks. So if you call an Inmarsat phone from an Iridium one, you could possibly be looking at numbers of $15/min!
If you decide to go for a monthly plan, you’re looking at rates that range between $100-$5000 dollars! As you can imagine, with such a huge price difference, the contents of the plan vary greatly.
What’s great about some satellite phone brands, such as Iridium, is they don’t charge the receiver for the call to a satellite phone, even ones originating from a landline. If all the plans you have looked at seem too expensive, then you can resort to texting.
How to Send a Text
Sending a text to a sat phone is easier than calling. For Inmarsat phones, you can go online to the website and message the receiver from there. The email will be sent to an address that looks something like this: [email protected]
Iridium is quite similar, they also have an online web form and their own messaging format similar to Inmarsat.
Thuraya follows the same concept as the first two, having their own online web form and emails that can be sent to individual Thuraya satellite phones.
Globalstar allows text messages that can be sent via your cell phone if you live in the US. This is because they assign US numbers to their satellite phones.
Conclusion
Getting in touch with someone with a satellite phone isn’t as difficult as you thought, but it might be a hassle to look up the country code, area code, and calling code. Once you have done it once, we advise saving the number or adding it to your speed dial. Now that you can successfully contact sat phones, just make sure you brace yourself for the high rates.
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