If you have ever considered buying or renting a satellite phone you probably have asked the same question as I once did, do satellite phones work everywhere? Whether it is for hiking or for any other outdoor activity, satellite phones can be incredibly handy and they might even save your life, but where exactly do they work?
Satellite phones work almost everywhere in the outdoors, but they need line of sight to a satellite. This means that a signal might be blocked by trees, mountains, buildings… you generally have good reception in the outdoors, but depending on the provider the coverage might be limited. Satellite phones will have poor/no reception inside buildings (reception will not be great in urban environment in general).
Where do satellite phones work?
So do satellite phones work everywhere? Well, the answer is yes… and no. There is only one provider (called “Iridium”) that will provide complete coverage. However, the signal can still be blocked by any object that blocks your line-of-sight to a satellite. This also means that a satellite phone will usually not work in a vehicle with a metal roof, unless you hang out of the window.
Another pretty important factor to consider is that the weather might also play it’s role. If there are a lot of dense clouds between you and the satellite(s) this might block your line of sight as well. It will rarely cut you of completely (but it might), but it will definitely cause some reception issues.
Most providers will not provide mobile communication on the poles.
Even more, in some countries satellite phones are completely banned, in others, you will need to get a permit before you are allowed to use one. I will talk more about this later in the article.
There are also claims that certain governments jam the signal in certain places.
So to be completely correct I would have to say that satellite phones don’t work everywhere, but you could say that satellite phones can work in every region of the world since they only require line of sight to a satellite.
Can satellite phones work indoors?
Generally speaking, satellite phones do not work indoors, since there needs to be line of sight to a satellite. However, you might be able to establish some sort of reception through a glass roof/dome.
Another option would be to use a setup where you connect your satellite phone to an antenna. This allows you to use your satellite phone indoors.
Also, you could even attach a mini antenna to the top of your car, this way you would actually be able to use a satellite phone inside your car.
So in fact satellite phones can work indoors, but not on their own. You will need a special setup for this. More information about this subject can be found on the website of outfitterssatellite.
Do satellite phones work on cruise ships?
Another questions that is pretty often asked is “Do satellite phones work on cruise ships?”. The quick answer to this question: Yes, satellite phones work on any type of ship really.
The only problems that can occur are: very dense clouds (stormy weather), mountains (in case you are close to land) and entering regions that are not covered by your provider.
All in all, satellite phones will probably work better on sea than anywhere else because there are less objects that could block the line of sight to the satellite.
Do satellite phones work on airplanes?
This question is slightly more complicated. However, it can actually be compared to the question “can satellite phones be used indoors”. The answer is exactly the same: yes, but not on their own.
Obviously if you are thinking about a regular airplane, you will not have the option to quickly attach an antenna to the outside of the plane… However, if you own a personal plane of some sort, this would actually be an option.
Once again if you are really interested in doing something like this, you might want to take a look at the website of outfitterssatellite.
What countries do not allow satellite phones?
As I said before, some countries do not legally allow the use of satellite phones. Other countries only allow it when you obtain some sort of license. Why do some governments do this? Governments might ban/restrict the use of satellite phones in order to have more control over their citizens or to battle terrorism. However, do be not mistaken, satellite phones are not untraceable, in fact tracing satellite phones is quite common in the military.
Before I will cover some of the countries that ban/restrict the use of satellite phones I would like to point out that you should not use this information as a single and permanent source of truth. Laws change, the internet provides wrong information sometimes, etc…
Long story short, if you want to be sure about the legality of satellite phones in a certain country you should do extended research and maybe even contact the consulate/embassy.
Countries where satellite phones are strictly forbidden:
- Bangladesh
- China
- North Korea
Countries where you need a permit/license in order to use a satellite phone:
- Cuba
- India
- Russia
- Sri Lanka
Countries where the situation is not entirely clear (so be cautious)
- Libya
- Myanmar
- Nigeria
- Sudan
Note that there are probably a lot more countries where there are restrictions, so make sure to consult the latest laws of the country you are interested in.
Additional factors to consider
I have tried my best to give an answer to the question “Do satellite phones work everywhere” and talked a lot about where satellite phones should and shouldn’t work. However, there are a couple of additional factors to consider.
As I already mentioned there are multiple satellite phone providers and not all of them will provide reception in all parts of the world.
Another thing to consider is the actual satellite phone you will be using. As with everything, there are a lot of different types and while none of these can be considered “cheap”, some are still a lot more expensive than others. The quality can also be very different between these devices. So make sure to bring one that fits your needs!
Conclusion
You came here to find out where satellite phones work. The short answer would be that they can work almost everywhere, as long as they don’t get blocked by buildings, mountains, trees, etc. A direct line of sight to a satellite is required.
Other restrictions are providers that don’t provide worldwide receptions and that certain countries might ban/restrict the use of satellite phones. In certain areas, governments might even go as far as jamming the satellite phones.
So we can conclude that satellite phones work almost everywhere, but not quite.