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satellite phones

Global Satellite Phone Showdown: Iridium 9555 vs. Extreme 9575 vs. Extreme PTT – Which One Reigns Supreme?

Global Satellite Phone Showdown: Iridium 9555 vs. Extreme 9575 vs. Extreme PTT – Which One Reigns Supreme?

The Iridium 9555 launched in 2008, the Iridium Extreme 9575 in 2011, and the Iridium Extreme PTT edition in 2015. The 9555 has no official IP rating, while the Extreme 9575 and Extreme PTT both have MIL-STD-810F and IP65 ratings. The 9575 adds built-in GPS and a one-touch SOS button, unlike the 9555 which lacks GPS. The Extreme PTT edition adds push-to-talk group communication with up to 15 talkgroups stored on a single device. On the Extreme PTT, Phone mode delivers up to 6.5 hours of talk and 54 hours standby, while PTT mode provides up to 5 hours of
20 August 2025
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Thuraya Satellite Phone Face-Off 2025: XT‑LITE vs XT‑PRO vs X5‑Touch – Which Reigns Supreme Off-Grid?

Thuraya Satellite Phone Face-Off 2025: XT‑LITE vs XT‑PRO vs X5‑Touch – Which Reigns Supreme Off-Grid?

The XT-LITE is Thuraya’s entry-level satphone, measuring 5.0 × 2.1 × 1.1 inches and weighing about 186 g. The XT-LITE supports only voice calls and SMS, with no built-in GPS or SOS emergency button. The XT-LITE delivers up to 6 hours of talk time and around 80 hours of standby on a full charge. The XT-LITE typically sells for about $600–$700, making it one of the cheapest Thuraya handsets in 2025. The XT-PRO is a rugged premium model at roughly 5.4 × 2.2 × 1.1 inches, 222 g, with IP55 dust and water spray resistance and Gorilla Glass. The XT-PRO
20 August 2025
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Satellite Phones: Comprehensive Global FAQ

Iridium 9575 vs Iridium 9555 vs Thuraya XT Lite Comparison. You Won’t Believe Which Satellite Phone Dominates in 2025

Iridium 9575 Extreme, launched in 2011, is Iridium’s rugged flagship with MIL-STD-810F shock/vibration and IP65 protection plus built-in GPS and a one-touch SOS button. The 9575 measures about 14 × 6 × 2.7 cm and weighs roughly 247 g, and is described as smaller and lighter than the Iridium 9555. Battery life for the 9575 is about 4 hours of talk time and 30 hours of standby, with an extended battery option pushing talk time toward 6 hours. The 9575 offers global pole-to-pole coverage via Iridium’s 66-satellite LEO constellation and supports walk-and-talk with an omnidirectional antenna. Iridium 9555, launched in
8 August 2025
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SpaceX Wins $81.6 Million U.S. Space Force Deal to Launch WSF-M2 Weather Satellite in 2027

SpaceX’s Action-Packed 48 Hours: Starlink Outage Shakes Users, Satellite Phone Service Debuts, Launch & Starship Updates

From July 24 to July 25, 2025, Starlink endured one of its largest outages, knocking tens of thousands offline with more than 60,000 outage reports before service largely returned in about 2.5 hours. Starlink’s outage was attributed by VP of Engineering Michael Nicolls to a failure of key internal software services that operate the core network, and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk publicly apologized on X. Starlink now serves over 6 million users across roughly 140 countries. On July 24, 2025, T-Mobile launched T-Satellite, a satellite-to-cell texting service, after a six‑month beta with nearly 2 million participants and up to 30,000
25 July 2025
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This Common Phone Feature Could Land You in Jail Abroad: Inside the Global Crackdown on GPS and Satellite Phones

This Common Phone Feature Could Land You in Jail Abroad: Inside the Global Crackdown on GPS and Satellite Phones

India bans unlicensed satellite communication and navigation devices, including Thuraya and Iridium phones and Garmin InReach, under the Indian Telegraph Act (1885) and Wireless Telegraphy Act (1933), with penalties up to three years in prison or ₹5 million in fines, and limited DoT licensing for Inmarsat devices. The 2008 Mumbai attacks involved a Thuraya satellite phone, prompting India’s tougher crackdown on civilian satphones. In March 2025 at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, three American travelers and one Australian were booked under Indian telecom laws for carrying Garmin GPS units and an Iridium satphone. Between January 2020 and September 2021, Karnataka
24 July 2025
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Smartphones vs. Satellite Phones: Are Off-Grid Cell Phones Killing the Satellite Phone?

Smartphones vs. Satellite Phones: Are Off-Grid Cell Phones Killing the Satellite Phone?

Apple launched Emergency SOS via satellite on the iPhone 14 series in late 2022 using Globalstar’s LEO network. Samsung Galaxy S25, launched in 2025, is the first commercially available phone to include Snapdragon Satellite for two-way messaging via Iridium’s LEO constellation, with Android 15 native support. Bullitt Group’s Bullitt Satellite Messenger rolled out in Q1 2023, enabling two-way SMS on the Motorola Defy 2 and CAT S75 via Skylo GEO satellites. Huawei Mate 60 Pro (2023) added two-way satellite texting and satellite voice calling via BeiDou’s Tiantong GEO network, requiring careful skyward pointing and delivering low bandwidth. By the end
22 July 2025
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No Signal? No Problem: Why Satellite Phones Are Booming in 2025

No Signal? No Problem: Why Satellite Phones Are Booming in 2025

In June 2025, T-Mobile began a nationwide beta of its “T-Satellite” service built on SpaceX Starlink technology, with a July 2025 rollout and plans to include it at no extra cost on high‑end plans and about $10/month for others. On June 19, 2025, Vodafone Idea and AST SpaceMobile announced a partnership to deliver 4G/5G access from space in India using AST’s BlueWalker 3 satellites to reach remote areas. The FCC Space Bureau accepted Globalstar’s petition in early June 2025 to launch a second‑generation LEO constellation called “C‑3” for direct‑to‑device services, with Apple owning about 20% of Globalstar and a 50‑satellite
21 June 2025
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The Ultimate 2025 Satellite Phone Guide – Best Models Compared for Off-Grid Communication

The Ultimate 2025 Satellite Phone Guide – Best Models Compared for Off-Grid Communication

The Iridium Extreme 9575 is Iridium’s flagship rugged handset (MIL-STD 810F, IP65) at about 5.5 × 2.4 × 1.1 in and 8.7 oz, priced around $1,200–$1,500 (listed $1,349 in Jan 2025) with built-in GPS and an SOS button. The Iridium 9555 is a smaller, rugged phone (about 5.6 × 2.2 × 1.2 in, 9.4 oz) offering 4 hours talk and 30 hours standby, 2.4 kbps data, typically $900–$1,100 (listed about $1,129 in early 2025), and no GPS or SOS. Iridium operates a 66-satellite LEO constellation delivering 100% global pole-to-pole coverage with low latency from roughly 780 km altitude. The IsatPhone
17 June 2025
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Where Satellite Phones Are Illegal?

Where Satellite Phones Are Illegal?

Bangladesh bans satellite phone use; possession can lead to arrest and imprisonment. North Korea prohibits all unauthorized communication devices, foreigners must surrender phones and privacy is not guaranteed, with detention possible. India restricts satellite phones to government‑approved Inmarsat devices, requiring a license (No Objection Certificate) from the Department of Telecommunications before bringing one in. China maintains a de facto ban on private sat phones, requiring registration for limited state use and has deployed jammers in some areas to block unapproved devices. Chad bans satellite phones under any circumstances, with Thuraya explicitly outlawed and Iridium sometimes tolerated. Myanmar (Burma) effectively bans
6 June 2025
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Mega-Constellations Exposed: How Swarms of Tiny Satellites Are Taking Over Low Earth Orbit

“No Signal? No Problem!” – Next‑Gen Satellite Phones Set to Change Everything

In 2022, Apple’s iPhone 14 introduced Emergency SOS via satellite, later expanded in the iPhone 15 to support satellite texting via Globalstar. In April 2023, AST SpaceMobile’s BlueWalker 3 demonstrated a two-way 4G call using a standard smartphone on Earth with a 64 m² satellite antenna. Lynk Global demonstrated the first direct satellite text to an unmodified phone in 2022 and is partnering with mobile operators in over 40 countries to fill coverage dead zones. SpaceX’s Starlink Direct to Cell uses 2023-generation satellites with advanced antennas to connect to ordinary phones via terrestrial bands, with a plan to offer basic
5 June 2025
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When the Grid Goes Dark: How Satellite Phones Keep Us Connected in Emergencies

When the Grid Goes Dark: How Satellite Phones Keep Us Connected in Emergencies

Iridium operates 66 active LEO satellites in a cross-linked constellation, providing truly global coverage including the poles. Inmarsat uses 3–4 GEO satellites at about 36,000 km altitude to cover most of the globe from roughly 70°N to 70°S, and its IsatPhone 2 offers 8 hours of talk time. Globalstar runs about 48 LEO satellites to provide regional coverage (roughly 50°N to 50°S) with the Globalstar GSP-1700 handset. Thuraya uses two GEO satellites, with Thuraya 4-NGS launched in 2025 to expand service across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Australia, while it does not cover the Americas. Geostationary satellite networks
4 June 2025
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Satellite Phones: A Comprehensive Report

Satellite Phones: A Comprehensive Report

Iridium, a LEO network, started service in 1998 and operates 66 active cross-linked satellites, delivering near-global coverage, with the Iridium NEXT second-generation network launched in 2019. Globalstar uses 48 satellites (24 second-generation as of 2013), has no inter-satellite links and relies on ground gateways, and Apple’s Emergency SOS on iPhone 14 uses about 85% of Globalstar’s capacity for emergency texts. Inmarsat operates a GEO fleet of about 11 satellites, offers IsatPhone handheld services, the IsatPhone 2 provides ~8 hours of talk time and 160 hours of standby, and Inmarsat expanded with I-4/I-6 series after its 2023 acquisition by Viasat. Thuraya
2 June 2025
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