The Satellite Telephone
Author: Yvonne Volante

Did you know that the first transatlantic telephone call was
made via a radio telephone? It was 1927 and the service from
New York to London was transmitted by radio waves. And it
became the forerunner of the cellular telephone and the
satellite telephone. The telephone underwent many more
innovations and today we see a bewildering variety, in very
many sizes and shapes flooding the markets.

There has since been a giant leap in the telecommunications
area and today it is possible to send voice, data, pictures,
video, and still pictures to distant lands at unimaginable
speeds in analog and digital formats. Such information can also
be transmitted through fibreoptic cable in the form of light
waves. Also it is possible to send such information in the form
of radio-waves.

A Satellite phone is a distinctive instrument. It has been
devised to enable voice and other data transmission possible
through a satellite in the form of radio waves. But there are
many, many variations of landline telephones and even more
variations in cellular phones. So what is the need for a
satellite telephone? For one thing the user does not need the
existence of cell-towers or cell sites. This means that they
are free of the restrictions of any geographical dependency
and, therefore, it becomes possible to have dependable and
regular communication regardless of the users' location.. They
can be used from any place on the globe. Not surprisingly, this
makes them very useful for governments and militaries.

The clarity in landline may be susceptible to noise
interference, particularly if the voice or data is sent in
analog format, And remember that cell phones depend on cell
towers and cell exchanges. If you have to talk to someone 1000
miles away you will have to cross many cells to reach the
receiver. Again, if you or the receiver happens to be in a
so-called 'fringe areas', the reception may not be to your
satisfaction.

What about usage for the rest of us? Only over the last couple
of years have satellite phones been used for commercial and
personal use. Since they can be very handy if you go into a
very remote area like a desert, jungle or mountains, they can
be very useful. But if you're like the rest of us and stay
close to civilization, there may be no use for a personal
satellite telephone.

Another major use of the satellite phone has been by the news
media. Who has not heard a new account transmitted via
satellite telephone on the evening news.

The telephone was invented in 1876 by Alexander Graham Bell.
What do you suppose he would have thought about where
technology has taken us? Will you be the first one on your
block to have a satellite telephone? If you actually live on a
block, the chances for finding a use for it may be minimal. As
to the future...who can say?


About The Author: Yvonne Volante, the author, is a big fan of
technology and writes for fxphone.com, which is the premier
phone resource on the internet. You can see all of the articles
over at http://www.fxphone.com