Line of Sight

When talking about or finding out about satellite phones, you may often hear the term "line of sight". What does this mean?

Satellite phones need a clear line of sight view of the satellite. Performance can also be affected by poor weather and use is generally restricted to outdoors (though they will sometimes work through glass or canvas). For Iridium, this means the phone (or at least the phone's antenna) must be outside with a reasonably unobstructed view of most of the sky. Iridium phones use a non-directional antenna - which means it does not have to be pointed in any particular direction.

For Inmarsat (iSatPhone), which uses geostationary satellites, the phone's antenna should point towards the satellite with an unobstructed view. The antenna must be outside. The set up procedure is very simple and can be accomplished in seconds with ease. Both types of satellite phones can be supplied with long antenna cable extensions to allow the hand set to be operated inside a building, and for vehicle or maritime use.