Comparing Satellite Phone Prices: Iridium, Inmarsat, and Thuraya

Comparing Satellite Phone Prices: Iridium, Inmarsat, and Thuraya

Introduction to Satellite Phones and Pricing

Our market-leading satellite phones are your key to globally-reaching voice communication. Anyone venturing into remote regions of the world where traditional cellular coverage does not reach would benefit hugely from bringing a satellite phone with them. The handsets themselves are typically rugged, compact, and user-friendly, so they can be relied upon in an emergency or in ever-developing situations. This article aims to lay out the different satellite phones available from OSAT, as well as the costs associated with each option.

Iridium Satellite Phone Prices: Global Connectivity at a Cost

Iridium satellite phones lie at the forefront of today’s advanced handheld satellite communication solutions. As the one and only network to be truly global, thanks to their constellation of 66 Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites, Iridium, with their flagship devices the Iridium 9555 and Iridium Extreme®, are the network of choice for voice communication from any location on the planet including the polar regions.

Such encompassing coverage, however, comes at a price. Iridium satellite phone handsets are the more expensive option among their competitors, setting you back over $1,200 for the Iridium 9555 and around $1,500 for the Extreme. But this is to be expected when you want to achieve global connectivity. Iridium airtime costs from $57 a month if you opt for a monthly rolling contract, or $211 for their cheapest, one-off, 30-day top-up voucher.

Inmarsat Satellite Phone Prices: Performance and Affordability

The ISatPhone 2 from Inmarsat is a very worthy alternative to Iridium’s offerings if you want to achieve near-global coverage. You can make voice calls from anywhere in the world, except the poles, and the ISatPhone 2 comes with a built-in e-compass and interval tracking functionalities to form a complete satellite comms and navigation package.

Inmarsat’s standard monthly contracts start at just $45 which gives you 10 inclusive minutes per month. This may not sound like much, but satellite phones are used in a very different way to everyday smartphones; you don’t call your friends for a casual conversation from an Inmarsat satellite phone, they should be used sparingly and their minute usage planned out strategically. If you only need a 30-day top-up, Inmarsat’s cheapest one-off voucher is $52.50 and gives you 33 minutes of talk time.

Thuraya Satellite Phone: Price and Features Comparison

At Orbital SatCom we offer three different Thuraya satellite phone options (compared to just one from Inmarsat and two from Iridium). The Thuraya X5 Touch is the market’s first ever smart satellite phone thanks to its Android operating system and generously-sized touchscreen; while the XT PRO is designed specifically for professional users and packs a hefty battery life; and the XT LITE is the cheapest option of them all at just $546, compared to $1,290 for the X5 Touch and $1,015 for the PRO.

Thuraya’s network coverage, however, only covers EMEA and APAC regions. Therefore, we always advise against purchasing a Thuraya satellite phone to use anywhere in the Americas as coverage will not be achieved.

Choosing the Right Satellite Phone for Your Needs

Deciding which satellite phone is right for you very much depends on the nature of your trip, adventure, or excursion, where in the world you are travelling to, length of stay, and how far your budget stretches. If location doesn’t matter and you have the funding, an Iridium satellite phone is by far your best option. However, a Thuraya satellite phone will more than suffice as long as you are travelling within Thuraya’s network coverage i.e. not in North or South America. Inmarsat’s ISatPhone 2 is a solid contender if you are travelling anywhere but the North or South Pole and need a feature-rich, long-life solution.

As always, our team of experts at OSAT is here to help. So, if you need any advice about our range of satellite phones, contact us via:

• Email: info@osat.com
• Phone: +1 305 560 5355