A satellite phone or satphone is a type of mobile phone that connects to other phones or the telephone network by radio through orbiting satellites instead of terrestrial cell sites, as cellphones do. The advantage of a satphone is that its use is not restricted to areas covered by cell towers, it can be used in most or all geographic locations on the Earth's surface. Satphones are popular on expeditions into remote areas where terrestrial cellular service is unavailable.

Inmarsat Phones

Iridium

Thuraya- Land Voice

Thrane & Thrane

A very-small-aperture terminal (VSAT) is a two-way satellite ground station with a dish antenna that is smaller than 3.8 meters. This has been the conventional strength of Satellite Networks. A Satellite in the Geo Synchronous orbit coverage is around 33% of the earth’s surface and can give connectivity to any region covered by it. A satellite can also focus on a specific high density region and multiple satellites can work together to give global coverage. This is very useful for remote locations (rural areas, ships and coastal regions, hills, etc) where there is limited or no terrestrial connectivity.