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The Satellite Telephone

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?

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