Opinion – You have an iPhone? Good for you. I have a satellite phone, so how’s that? Some claim that not all iPhone owners bought their smartphone because of its fancy user interface or because of its ergonomics, but simply for bragging rights instead. And for those users, the iPhone may soon be old: Iridium has launched a new promotion targeted at rival Globalstar that brings a satellite phone within reach of average consumers for the very first time. The question is: Will the mainstream market bite?
If you remember my article on Iridium from March of last year, then you may remember that the high cost of satellite phone calls is (to some extent) a myth. In fact, if you do international calls the Iridium satellite beats cellular carriers by great length. Add to that that there are no coverage gaps across the globe, whether you are on an isolated island in the south Pacific, in New York or on the North Pole, and global travelers have an enticing option with such a phone.
The problem with Iridium phone was - and largely still is - that they are more bulky than your 1995 cellphone. And, they are expensive. You have to count on spending $1500 to buy the portable phone, and then somewhere between $0.85 and $1.93 per minute on calls through prepaid packages available from $145 (75 minutes over 30 days) to $4250 (5000 minutes over 2 years).
Iridium currently has 309,000 subscribers, mainly in the government, military, science and industrial segments, and is now apparently ready to take another shot at the consumer market (after the first version of Iridium failed with this strategy back in 1999). To attract attention, Iridium focuses on rival Globalstar first and said that it will discount its 9505A phone by $400, which brings the device down into the $1000 neighborhood. Additionally, the company offers $300 worth of discounts for calling packages. For the very first time, these discounts are not just available to government customers, but the general public as well. It seems to be just a matter of time until similar promotions emerge that aren't tied to Globalstar customers.
In effect, and if we view this offering in Iridium’s favor, you can get this phone for about $700, which is just about what you would have to buy for an iPhone 3G if you decided to purchase it outright. The Iridium phone is not locked into a service contract, however.
The 9505A phone (left/top) is a very bulky phone with a huge antenna (which may actually help you to get some attention) and none of the fancy iPhone features. It does not even have a color screen. Iridium has a more recent 9555 phone (right/bottom) that is more compact, but still looks like a phone from the last decade. Iridium's discount does not extend to the newer, sleeker device.
Another downside of the Iridium phone is that landline calls made to the phone are extremely expensive, costing the caller about $10 per minute!! But then, you could use the device to make calls to and from anywhere. "Where are you?" "Antarctica." "Awesome!"
If it is about bragging rights, you will have to go with an Iridium phone. Or wait possibly forever until Iridium makes a satellite iPhone-like model.
What are your thoughts? Would you consider using a satellite phone and why?
If you remember my article on Iridium from March of last year, then you may remember that the high cost of satellite phone calls is (to some extent) a myth. In fact, if you do international calls the Iridium satellite beats cellular carriers by great length. Add to that that there are no coverage gaps across the globe, whether you are on an isolated island in the south Pacific, in New York or on the North Pole, and global travelers have an enticing option with such a phone.
The problem with Iridium phone was - and largely still is - that they are more bulky than your 1995 cellphone. And, they are expensive. You have to count on spending $1500 to buy the portable phone, and then somewhere between $0.85 and $1.93 per minute on calls through prepaid packages available from $145 (75 minutes over 30 days) to $4250 (5000 minutes over 2 years).
Iridium currently has 309,000 subscribers, mainly in the government, military, science and industrial segments, and is now apparently ready to take another shot at the consumer market (after the first version of Iridium failed with this strategy back in 1999). To attract attention, Iridium focuses on rival Globalstar first and said that it will discount its 9505A phone by $400, which brings the device down into the $1000 neighborhood. Additionally, the company offers $300 worth of discounts for calling packages. For the very first time, these discounts are not just available to government customers, but the general public as well. It seems to be just a matter of time until similar promotions emerge that aren't tied to Globalstar customers.
In effect, and if we view this offering in Iridium’s favor, you can get this phone for about $700, which is just about what you would have to buy for an iPhone 3G if you decided to purchase it outright. The Iridium phone is not locked into a service contract, however.
The 9505A phone (left/top) is a very bulky phone with a huge antenna (which may actually help you to get some attention) and none of the fancy iPhone features. It does not even have a color screen. Iridium has a more recent 9555 phone (right/bottom) that is more compact, but still looks like a phone from the last decade. Iridium's discount does not extend to the newer, sleeker device.
Another downside of the Iridium phone is that landline calls made to the phone are extremely expensive, costing the caller about $10 per minute!! But then, you could use the device to make calls to and from anywhere. "Where are you?" "Antarctica." "Awesome!"
If it is about bragging rights, you will have to go with an Iridium phone. Or wait possibly forever until Iridium makes a satellite iPhone-like model.
What are your thoughts? Would you consider using a satellite phone and why?