SOS calls only is a common problem in low connectivity areas and it leaves you wanting on more than a single occasion. The satellite phone is your best chance for survival, but until date only the army men or the uber rich have enjoyed the privilege.
TerreStar or SkyTerra intend to make the satellite phones mainstream in an attempt to permanently end the problem of no signal zones. Though expensive, these phones would be available in a regular AT&T store just like any other model, and there would be no scary antennas clubbed to make the user look alien. The company is investing $1.2 billion to lift a satellite in an orbit 22,000 miles from the earth to make sure that no caller is ever found wanting in a difficult situation. The call rate would be less than a dollar per minute meaning that TerreStar would do better than companies like Iridium and Globalstar. The fact this phone would appear normal and would be available for regular purchase can make it popular and mainstream but we still have to see how successful it gets. There have been previous occasions when companies have floundered all that they had on such plans, without any kind of success which makes us eager to see how TerreStar fares.
Via: Physorg
