Satellite Phones versus Cell Phones: Which Are Better for Boating?

People like to talk to each other, and for good reason. Philosophers, mystics, and psychiatrists say that communication and human interaction is vital to mental, emotional, and spiritual health. However, human interaction and communication tend to be very limited while roaming the high seas. What’s great though is that you can contact your friends and family with a cell phone or satellite phone. If you are planning to get a phone for your boat, you may be wondering which of these you should get.

There are some big differences between satellite phones and cell phones. The first thing most people will be concerned with is price. When you sign up with a cell phone provider, you may actually get your phone for free or at least get a huge discount. This isn’t the case with a satellite phone. In order to buy a satellite phone you will need to throw down at least $1000, though it will probably cost more than that.

Also, you will probably get a bunch of free minutes with your monthly cell phone charges, or at least get an unlimited plan for a decent price. Again, this isn’t the case with a satellite phone. After you buy the phone, you will be charged a monthly fee and won’t receive any free minutes. Instead, you will be charged by the minute. You can expect to pay at least $1.00 per minute, sometimes less but most of the time more.

Price aside, another important thing to consider is coverage. Cell phones work like a charm on land, but when you get out to sea there aren’t any towers. You can get a cellular antenna to boost your cell service, but you will still have to be relatively close to land. On the other hand, a satellite phone has worldwide coverage, especially if you use a service provider like Iridium. You can use it in the middle of the Pacific or even the North Pole. The downside though, is that you cannot use a satellite inside of the ship since you have to have a view of the sky in order to transmit and receive information.

Quality of service and reliability are also things to consider. Cell phones tend to have better audio quality with the occasional annoying echo. Satellite phones tend to have slightly lower audio quality and tend to echo a lot more. However, this echo and lower quality won’t matter when natural disasters happen. Or if a terrorist attack destroys a whole communications grid, the satellite phone’s service will be untouched. The same can’t be said for cell phones.

So, which is better to have when you are out to sea? Sure cell phones are cheaper and work wonderfully on land, but they just don’t get the job done out on the water unless you’re staying near the land. Satellite phones are truly the way to go. They offer worldwide coverage and are far more reliable than most other forms of communication. Yes, there is a higher price to pay, but it is most definitely worth it.