December 13, 2006 3:55 AM PST
Terrestrial mobile networks typically offer limited coverage in rural areas. If you're out of the range of a cell phone tower, you're out of luck. That's not the case with satellite phones, which only need a clear view of the sky to work. For North America, the two best choices are Globalstar and Iridium, which operate constellations of satellites in low Earth orbit. Globalstar claims to have better U.S. coverage and cheaper rates; for a $38 base monthly fee, airtime costs between $1.40 to $5 a minute. Rentals are available.
Photo by Iridium.com
