Inmarsat rolls out IsatPhone Pro satellite phone

Inmarsat has doffed the covers of its latest global handheld satellite phone, the IsatPhone Pro. The company is said to be a leading provider of global mobile satellite communications services. The device hints at being the “game changer” in the specialist market, as it is available at a reasonable price. The satellite phone from Inmarsat proffers an unparalleled design at the most competitive price point in the market.

The device comes loaded with features that it claims are unrivaled by its competitors. The phone is enabled with the market’s longest battery life and the most robust handset asserted by extensive testing. The battery life lasts up to 8 hours of talk time and up to 100 hours on standby. It has been accredited to an IP54 rating, and the device is shock, dust and splash resistant. The handset functions in the widest temperature range from -20 degrees C to +55 degrees C that any satellite phone is capable of operating. Features include a fully-manoeuvrable antenna, a larger keypad for easy dialling in gloves and an intuitive GSM-style interface with a high-visibility colour screen. It offers satellite telephony, text and e-mail messaging and location data can be viewed and sent via text message.

The IsatPhone Pro is the first satellite phone to be built exclusively from scratch for the Inmarsat network. The device has been built in such a way to fulfill the need of the user, and work even in the remotest and harshest of environments. The phone is targeted at professional users in the oil and gas, aid, government, media, mining and construction industries.

Inmarsat IsatPhone

Before you get overly excited, note that so far you can only use this new satellite phone in Asia, Africa, or the Middle East. But according to the Inmarsat announcement, the service will be worldwide by the end of 2008. Like Iridium, the IsatPhone does data at a piddly 2400 bps, but that’s enough for email and file up/downloading, especially with a little help from XGate. And especially when the phone’s expected retail is “about $500” with voice calls at less than $1/minute.

The data rate is 9600 when the phone is used in GSM mode; that’s Globalstar speed, but hopefully delivered more reliably by Inmarsat. There will also be a worldwide FleetPhone version of this service—with a down-below handset and external antenna—said to be “ideal” for smaller fishing vessels and yachts. “We are coming to shake up the satellite phone market,” says Inmarsat’s CEO. I think the reaction of a lot of offshore boaters will be: “Bring it on!”