Thankfully most people don't have to fork over the bucks to get a satellite phone
. They cost a lot more than a cell phone in the initial purchase and they cost a bunch more to use. It must be said though that if you need to communicate during an emergency you definitely won't be worried about those extra spent dollars. People that had a sat phone where hurricane Katrina tore things up could make calls while a whole lot of people that had cell phones and land lines that did not work. That is not the only example of how handy it can be to have one of these.
If you could predict when you will be in a disaster, you could more easily judge when and how often you might need one of these phones. In a disaster, the cost is really insignificant. The original application for these phones were for ships and was Inmarsat, but this company is joined by other now to provide this satellite service. The sat phone service and cell phone service are not even on the same playing field. Having a Inmarsat phone means that you won't need the services of any other company for coverage.
When you pick out the phone that you are going to buy then you need to be sure to get one that will have service for the area that you will be using it in. Some sat phones have greater service areas than others and you need to be sure that you will be covered. It doesn't take much to figure out which phone will work the best for you. Most places will be covered except for the most extreme north and south poles.
Other important things to consider are you location needs in addition to the air time amounts that will be needed for making calls. The plans and phones vary as much as the companies that offer the services. When you examine the different plans, check out the texting options with each plan as well as data details when online. These are just a few things that you might want to consider when considering the cost that best benefits the way the phone will be used.
It is a very common practice for sat phone users to use the outdoors for a communication environment. Being close to windows that have a good line of direct sight into the skies toward the satellites will often work great also. Good reception is a direct result of a clear sight line. Another less expensive option that many people are considering is sat phone rental. This is great for adding an additional safety net for pennies on the dollar.