satellites
In remote areas, a satellite phone can mean the difference between life and death. We chat to the people from Zippistat about what a satellite phone entails.
These days living without a smartphone is unimaginable – so much so that many people think twice before holidaying at a place where there is no cellphone reception. Even travellers who prefer places with as little as possible modern comforts grab their phones first when they’re in an emergency. If you own a 4x4, chances are good you’ll be without cellphone reception for days on end on your trip. It might not be that big a problem if you’re travelling in a group, but you can land knee-deep in trouble if you’re travelling on your own and things go wrong. In these places you often don’t see another soul and there’s nowhere to ask for help. If there isn’t cellphone reception in a 35 km radius, you can pack away your cellphone. And don’t think the problem only lies on the other side of the country’s borders; about half of South Africa doesn’t have reception. If you go look at a map by OpenSignal – a company that maps cellphone signal strengths worldwide – you’ll see the “open” gaps in South Africa. The biggest sections of the plains in the Northern Cape, central Karoo right through to the Eastern Cape interior up to Lesotho have almost no signal coverage. The great thing about a satellite phone is that you are not dependent on a signal tower. Just like your satellite navigation
system works in every corner of the globe, a satellite phone also works everywhere.
IT’S TWO WORLDS UP THERE
In the years of videotapes there were two systems: VHS and Betamax. The one didn’t work on the other’s player, and you had to choose your preference. It works almost the same way with a satellite phone in South Africa, because there are two mainstream satellite constellations to choose from: Inmarsat or Iridium. Each have their own satellites and the one’s phone won’t work with the other’s. But regardless of the constellation, you must also remember that a satellite phone works with line of sight from the handset to the satellite. In other words, if there is a physical barrier between you and the satellite, it influences the signal. Therefore you mainly use the phone outside where the signal has an uninterrupted line to the satellite. Inmarsat is the oldest of the two and was started in 1979 to use on ships. Inmarsat’s I4 constellation uses four geosynchronous satellites above the equator. That means each of the satellites stays above a specific part of the globe, and they turn along with the Earth in their own tracks. They’re also spaced out so that they cover almost the entire globe. Their Achilles heel are the North and South poles. The phone networks don’t work here. Inmarsat’s satellites are stationed relatively high above Earth (35 700 km). That means the radio wave of the phone to the satellite and back can cause a delay when you’re talking. The wave typically takes 250 milliseconds to the satellite, meaning it takes a quarter of a second there and back. But with the modern voice technology that the network uses, you can have a conversation like you would over a regular phone – without talking and waiting, talking and waiting. Iridium entered the market 20 years after Inmarsat, and relies on 66 satellites that move in several tracks around the globe. They are not geosynchronous, and because they move around the Earth in their own time, the network works everywhere – even in the poles. Iridium’s satellites are a lot closer to Earth (640–1 120 km) and their orbit time around Earth is 70–100 minutes. Where with Inmarsat you rely on a specific stationary satellite >
above you, Iridium’s radio wave jumps to the next satellite as they move above you in their orbit track. You’d typically use a specific Iridium satellite for 4–15 minutes before the signal jumps to the next one.
WHAT DOES IT COST?
The prices for the handset and airtime differ depending on which service you use. You can buy or rent the handset, and also buy the airtime beforehand. This is what the costs look like if you use Zippisat:
Inmarsat
The rental tariffs differ depending on how long you want to use the phone. You have a choice of four periods: up to 14 days, up to 31 days, and 60 days or longer. For the two-week period the rental costs R80 p.d. (R1 120 for the full two weeks). That works out to about R12 per day (R68) cheaper if you want to rent the handset for 31 days (R2 108 for the full 31 days). But if you’re going to need the handset for longer, there’s a discount of R57 p.d. after the 31st day. If you want to buy your own handset, you’re looking at about R11 500. Just like with a cellphone, you load the prepaid airtime on the phone’s sim card. The airtime works in units where one minute equals 1,3 units. You also have an option of prepaid airtime that’s valid for anything from 30 days to a year. For 50 units (38,5 minutes’ airtime) that’s valid for 30 days it costs R933, and 100 units that’s valid for 90 days cost R1 853. Incoming calls cost you nothing, but the person phoning you has to cough up: R50-R80 per minute is not unusual. It’s cheaper to phone back from the satellite phone.
Iridium
Iridium is a better choice for long-term users in Africa. Zippisat sells an Iridium 9575 Extreme handset for approximately R18 500. For the airtime options you can choose between a package that’s valid in Africa, or, if you want to travel further, the rest of the world. The Africa option’s package is valid for a year, costs R4 372, and includes 300 minutes’ airtime. That gives you on average 25 minutes per month – equal to just a bit less than one minute per day. That boils down to R364 per month, which compares favourable to the cheapest cellphone contracts in South Africa. The prices for both networks are worked out as if you’re buying the handset and airtime separately. If you buy the handset, there are options for special tariff packages.
go! Drive & Camp says
For the average Joe, a satellite phone is an emergency phone. If you run into trouble in the middle of nowhere, the phone can be your lifeline.
The best thing about a satellite phone is that you’re not at the mercy of a cellphone tower.