Mobile Satellite Broadband - Expensive Huh!?

Many people are under the impres­sion that satel­lite commu­ni­ca­tions are expen­sive. Well — it’s really all relative.

Nearly all satel­lite service providers have customiz­able plans to match an organization’s budget constraints. Numerous satellite-based Internet services at remote (fixed) locations are avail­able with monthly fees typically ranging from $49 to $99 (compet­i­tive with terres­trial rates).

Recognizing the budget constraints of corpo­ra­tions and govern­ment agencies requir­ing higher grades of service (than just Internet access), satel­lite and wireless service providers have devel­oped pricing plans start­ing as low as a few hundred dollars per month. Almost all of these providers now have mecha­nisms for quickly upgrad­ing  service plans (often within an hour or less after a request) in the event of an emergency or ad-hoc require­ment for higher trans­mis­sion rates and data throughput.

Today you can subscribe to mobile satel­lite broad­band services by activat­ing a termi­nal and then paying for usage as you need it. Varying monthly allowance plans are also avail­able if you can predict your  usage needs (much like a cell phone service plan). These services have monthly rates on the order of $30 to $50 per month to keep the mobile termi­nal or phone activated and then usage charges are invoiced at the end of each month based on actual voice minutes and data transmitted.

Many people are still under the impres­sion that these services are expen­sive. However consider that satphone calls can be made for a little as $0.79  per minute with no monthly commit­ment. Under varying plan packages, the per call charge can go as low as $0.29.

For users requir­ing simul­ta­ne­ous voice and data capabil­i­ties, Inmarsat BGAN termi­nals are a good choice. These IP-based services enable voice calling and IP network access in a small form factor. Voice services  typically range from $0.79 — $1.29 (compet­i­tive with most cellu­lar roaming charges) and data usage is charged at $6 to $8 per megabytes (bulk pricing discounts are also available).

When disas­ter strikes and there are no alter­na­tives for commu­ni­ca­tions — these mobile satel­lite broad­band rates are a real bargain.

Consider the costs of not being able to make that criti­cal call or send an email!