Survival communication: Which satellite phone is best?

There are numerous parts of the world where your smartphone won’t have access to cell coverage. You can avoid this potential problem by investing in a good satellite phone.

Your regular smartphone needs terrestrial cell towers to communicate. This isn’t a problem if you’re living in an urban area. However, the farther outside the city you go, cell reception can become more patchy.

Satellite communication will allow for seamless contact even in the most remote areas of the United States. Even if the power grid goes down and your local cell towers are compromised, satellite phones can keep functioning. When SHTF, your lines of communication to family members and local authorities needs to be stable. Here are three companies that provide a huge variety of satellite phone products that can offer you strong coverage and reliability during a disaster or emergency. (h/t to OffGridWeb.com)

Globalstar

Among satellite phone carriers, Globalstar has a smaller coverage area. However, they have been constantly upgrading and expanding their satellite services and coverage area. Globalstar is popular among adventurers and outdoorsmen as the company responsible for the SPOT line of locator beacons, which broadcast your whereabouts to people you trust and emergency rescuers.

Inmarsat

Inmarsat has three constellations of 10 satellites that are currently orbiting the Earth at a height of 22,236 miles above sea level. This gives Inmarsat’s satellites a broad reach over most of the planet. This benefit is greatly amplified the closer to the equator you are, because Inmarsat’s satellites orbit over the equator.

However, it should be noted that the farther out from the equator you go, either north or south, the less reliable their services will be. Fortunately, if you only need one satellite to communicate with another person, your service will be more stable. Furthermore, Inmarsat’s services cost significantly less than other satellite communications providers. (Related: 5 Must-have radios for survival in a grid-down situation.)

Iridium

The Iridium Network is by far one of the greatest choices for limitless satellite communication. For starters, Iridium is the only satellite communications company that can reliably provide global connection. It can connect you with almost anyone in the world whether you’re in a natural park, in the middle of the ocean or even if you’re in a polar region. This enhanced connectivity comes from the fact that Iridium has 66 cross-linked low Earth orbiting satellites.

What makes them better than most satellite communications providers is that these 66 satellites are always on the move, allowing for a greater degree of connectivity because you won’t be required to move to a particular location to find stable service. Many other satellite communications companies even rely on Iridium’s network of satellites for their services.

One of the best satellite phones you can get from this company is the Iridium 9575 Extreme. It is a dependable satellite phone with military-grade durability, reliable voice and data capability, a long battery life (up to 30 hours on standby time), location awareness, a customizable GPS and it even has a built-in emergency button that can help emergency services contact you if you’re in a tough situation.

If a disaster is coming your way, you should not rely solely on your smartphone or the internet for communication. A satellite phone can give you reliable connectivity even in remote areas, which may quite literally save your life when SHTF.

Sources include:

ThePreppingGuide.com

OffGridWeb.com