What is the difference between a GSM and a Satellite mobile service. Who provides these services?

Question

What is the difference between a GSM based mobile service and a Satellite based mobile service? Which of these is superior in terms of quality of service and network? Who can subscribe to a Satellite mobile service? A comparison of the tariff for both the services may also be provided. Only serious answers please.

Answer 1

GSM service is from towers located on the ground somewhere..

Satellite service is from satellites in the sky orbiting around the earth.

They both have their plus and minuses. If you are always in heavily populated areas and never travel internationally then obviously GSM phones are far superior.

The Satellite phones can come in handy when you are traveling to remote areas, such as the North Pole, Mt. Everest, etc. where no cell towers exist.

Satellite phones are also an alternative for international service. There are no roaming or long distance charges across the earth with the satellite phones, and the prices have come down quite a bit and are typically cheaper than GSM roaming charges. The satellites are in orbit where foreign governments cannot tax or influence the prices in anyway. Whereas if you have a GSM phone, the towers will have to be installed in other countries if service will be available. Once the towers are installed in foreign countries, the foreign government can impose taxes and heavily influence the international roaming rates, etc.

And the satellite phones can have SIM cards.. Iridium uses SIM cards..

Answer 2

Basically GSM phones are the ones which use SIM cards, whereas Satellite Mobile do not use SIM card and these are built in the instrument service providers gives to you.

It is debatable, which service is better.

Actually it depends on the network the service providers has. By and large Satellite mobiles are expensive but good in clarity.

There are many schemes available and tariff depends on the requirements.

Reliance, Tata, MTNL provide Satellite mobile
Hutch/ Orange , Airtel, Idia , BPL provide GSM service

Answer 3

GSM is just a regular cell phone service that originates from towers every few miles apart. Satellite comes from satellites and cover the whole world and the service is very expensive.