satellite communications Throughout the world today, we are experiencing connectivity far greater than anything the likes of which mankind has seen before. The telegram was trumped by the telephone; the telephone was trumped by cellular communications; cellular communications will soon be trumped by satellite communications. The capabilities of satellite communications was first realized in 1958 when President Eisenhower delivered a Christmas greeting via a NASA communication vessel known as SCORE. The message was transmitted from earth to the SCORE vessel orbiting in space, then bounced back to earth and delivered across the nation. It is estimated that there are nearly 1,000 satellites orbiting the earth today, some of which are privately run and some of which are government sponsored. In terms of satellite phone communications, there are a couple of hundred satellites that are solely dedicated to networking such systems. An important thing to keep in mind is that satellite phones need a clear line -of-sight to the satellite in order to maintain a signal. With Iridium phones, this generally means that in order to use the satellite phone, you have to be outside with as unobstructed view of the sky as possible. The antenna is non-directional, so it doesn't need to be pointed in any particular direction. For Inmarsat systems that use 4 geo-stationary satellites, the antenna must actually be pointed in the direction of the satellite for best signal. (For both systems, there are antenna extensions available through which you can manage a strong enough signal to use the satellite phones without a clear line-of-sight, but these are generally expensive accessories) As it is, we have just begun to scratch the surface of possibilities of satellite communications. Before 2010, it is expected that system updates will allow for high-speed Internet connections amongst satellite phone users. This will allow for such things as videoconferencing, and high-speed data transfers. ============================================================================ > > > Trace satellite technologies back to the ORIGINS OF SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS ============================================================================

satellite communications Satellite Communication History Satellite Phone Sat Phones Satellite Phone Scramblers Satellite Cell Phone Satellite Phone Rental Satellite Phone Service Iridium Inmarsat Globalstar

Home | Contact | Sitemap | Resource | Link Exchange

Satellite Phone Plans (C) 2004 All Rights Reserved Information provided within these pages are for comparison/research purposes only. All trademarks, brand names, and product names belong to their respective holders.