Satellite Phones

A satellite phone does one thing: it puts a voice call through when there is no tower for a hundred miles. This section is the deep end, Iridium versus Inmarsat, buying versus renting, the per-minute math, coverage maps, antenna habits, and the handsets we put in the hands of first-time buyers. If you are working out which phone fits your trip, your boat, or your home emergency plan, start with our comparisons and work down to the specifics.