Spot Global Phone

Submitted: Monday, Aug 26, 2013 at 10:25
ThreadID: 104045 Views:2401 Replies:4 FollowUps:2
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Anyone have experience? Use & availability in Aust.
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Reply By: Rod W - Monday, Aug 26, 2013 at 10:35

Monday, Aug 26, 2013 at 10:35
Has a very small screen and the antiquated keyboard system. Wouldn't bother with it.
AnswerID: 517103

Reply By: Member - Ian F (WA) - Monday, Aug 26, 2013 at 11:12

Monday, Aug 26, 2013 at 11:12
Check out this www.engadget.com/2013/06/16/spot-global-phone-review
Ian
AnswerID: 517104

Reply By: Candace S. - Monday, Aug 26, 2013 at 16:18

Monday, Aug 26, 2013 at 16:18
All Spot brand devices operate on the Globalstar satellite network. So be sure to check their coverage map as they don't have global coverage; in fact it appears not all of Australia gets full coverage!

Globalstar coverage map

If after looking at that you're still thinking about the Spot phone, I personally have a Globalstar GSP-1600 phone, so I can speak from experience about the company and their voice service.

In 2007, their "duplex" (voice) service began to deteriorate due to problems with their satellites. It got to the point where the phone was nearly unusable. I can remember in late 2010, trying for half an hour or more to make a call. Then finally giving up because I could not get a sufficient or consistent signal. And this was from the "lower 48" of the U.S.

Soon after that I was transferred to S. Korea (work) and suspended my account.

At some point after coming back to the U.S., I was offered a plan that costs about US$40 per month with unlimited minutes. By this time (2012), they had put up new satellites and service was improving. They've continued to put new satellites in play, but the voice service still isn't 100%.

While all this was going on, lots of subscribers gave up on them so their revenues plummeted. At the same time they had to spend $$$ on new satellites and such. The only thing that has kept them going are big loans and the successful Spot service.

The Spot trackers have never been affected by the technical woes, because they do not use the satellite duplex circuits that failed.

The company is deeply in debt and continuously loses money. I personally doubt they can rebuild a sufficient sat phone customer base to survive. I've kept my service going as a way to call for vehicle recovery help. But I have a PLB for back-up or true emergencies. If I had to replace the phone today, I would go with another provider.

On the other hand, they are also pushing a scheme to utilize some of their bandwith to increase U.S. WiFi capacity. Which could be lucrative for them but who knows if it will work out.

In summary: If you want/need a satellite phone, go with Iridium or some other proven, stable provider.
AnswerID: 517115

Follow Up By: tiffanymatthew - Monday, Aug 26, 2013 at 17:05

Monday, Aug 26, 2013 at 17:05
The Spot phone is a re-branded GSP-1700 which was never released in Australia. The phone from my understanding we ready to launched when the network had issues. Since the SPOT device has such a good name in the market Globalstar figured to change it's name and try to get rid of the bad name they had from 2010.
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FollowupID: 796661

Reply By: tiffanymatthew - Monday, Aug 26, 2013 at 17:06

Monday, Aug 26, 2013 at 17:06
The Spot phone is a re-branded GSP-1700 which was never released in Australia. The phone from my understanding we ready to launched when the network had issues. Since the SPOT device has such a good name in the market Globalstar figured to change it's name and try to get rid of the bad name they had from 2010.
AnswerID: 517120

Follow Up By: Candace S. - Tuesday, Aug 27, 2013 at 04:39

Tuesday, Aug 27, 2013 at 04:39
LOL, they may fool people who don't do any research before purchasing!

I would think the coverage map, which appears to indicate weaker signals in parts of Oz, would be enough to deter people there from buying a Spot phone! If you are viewing this as a potential lifeline when in remote areas, why pick something that you already know might not connect reliably from some areas?
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FollowupID: 796692

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