FAQ
When was the first satellite phone invented?
The first commercial available satellite phones handsets, like the ones used today, began to appear on the open market in the late 90s. However the first satellite phone call was made some thirty year earlier and answered by U.S. vice president Lyndon Johnson inn 1962.
This call was made possible by Telstar 1. The world’s first commercial satellite which was flown and designed by Bell Labs, AT&T, NASA, and the French and English governments. Telstar 1 was launched on July 10, 1962 and the call was made shortly there after. Telstar 1 also relayed the first satellite transmitted video (an American flag waving in the coastal breeze of Andover, Maine as well as the first fax.
The launch of Telstar 1 came only five years after the launch of the first satellite ever put into orbit Sputnik 1. Unfortunately, TelStar 1’s initial success was short lived. Fragile transistors aboard the satellite were damaged by radiation from an American high altitude nuclear weapons test, detonated just a day before the launch of the TelStar 1. It went out of service that December, was briefly restored in January the next year, but made its last transmission a month later on February 21, 1963 due to another transistor failure. While Telstar 1’s operational time was brief this technology paved the way for the type of Satellite communication we enjoy today.
Satellite Phones in the modern age.
The British company Inmarsat is the longest running satellite phone operator. They were founded in 1979. Originally providing satellite communication for ships at sea Inmarsat entered the handset market with partner ACeS in the late following the launch of the first satellite communication network offering world wide coverage.
Thuraya, a satellite communication company based in the U.A.E was established in 1997 and offers coverage in Australia, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Europe.
Iridium, another satellite communication company began launching their satellite network in 1997, but by 1998 they were bankrupt. This company fought their way out of insolvency and are one of the most reliable global network provides you can find today.
For more information on how these companies stack up click here.