IsatPhone 2 the new satellite phone from Inmarsat [Update-2]

The war is open between the two leading operators worldwide satellite phone. After the announcement of the GO! by Iridium (¹), here is IsatPhone 2 by Inmarsat.

Inmarsat will deliver its new mobile satellite phone on March 24 next. IsatPhone 2 Targets the high-end of the satellite telephony market. Described as "a fine device combined with a feeling of high quality", it has additional options and more features than the previous IsatPhone Pro model (²), such as GPS tracking, an emergency button or the reception of calls with the antenna folded. Read more …

IsatPhone Pro versus Iridium (continue)

As promised in my post on 15 July, here are the results of the comparative test conducted aboard "Prince d'Oc" for our trip from Port Leucate to Dubrovnik.

Thanks to the loan of a complete IsatPhone Pro, avec station d’accueil et antenne extérieure (big thanks to PYG @Voilier_xhosa, who sent me all this from Belgium), and the presence of a similar facility Iridium on board Olivier's boat : Iridium 9575 avec antenne fixe extérieure Sailor, nous avons pu effectuer des tests en situation réelle d’utilisation.

Prince d'Oc vers la Croatie

Prince d’Oc en route pour la Croatie

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IsatPhone Pro versus Iridium, which one to choose ?

I just read, dans le dernier numéro de Voiles et Voiliers daté de mai 2012, un comparatif Inmarsat-Iridium qui me laisse insatisfait. Quite interesting in form, it presents a lot of approximations in substance, et ne permet pas au lecteur de se faire une opinion sur des éléments de comparaison précis et chiffrés. On the other hand, n’en déplaise à François-Xavier Ricardou, les solutions logicielles pour Mac existent depuis longtemps et sont parfaitement éprouvées : just to see the number of participants provided with Mac or iPad at ARC 2011. I will try to contribute complementary, je l’espère, éclairera les acheteurs potentiels. Read more …