The real costs about Isatphone charges
Submitted: Tuesday, Dec 17, 2013 at 10:02
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Member - PJR (NSW)
There was a thread a ways back making all strange claims about the exorbitant cost of calls to and from Isatphone satellite phones. I don't know what I did but I can't find it. In that thread I think that I promised to check with our Isatphone service provider.
Here is what I just received: It proves that you should check with the actual provider and not always believe 100% what you heard "in the pub". I asked for the costs of calls to and from the phone where both ends are in Australia. ie remote outside
Alice Springs to
Canberra and back.
Phil
The email is below:
Hi Phil,
I am not sure where this information came from but here is the cost below and no there is no charge for the 000 emergency calls even when with the ISAT phones 000 was not available we at Addcom subsidised the airtime although we were paying for a special number never passed this on to the customers as 000 or emergency
services is always a free call.
I think your contact may have been confused by you making calls and others calling you will explain further down the email.
Within Australia ONLY doe not include 200 off shore calls
Satellite Phone to Land line 0.91c per minute
Satellite to Mobile 1.09 per minute
Voice Mail 0.91c per minute
SMS 0.45 flat
Satellite to non Isatpro handsets
ie: Iridium FBB, BGAN etc 1.36 per minute this can vary depending on where the other non Isatpro, ie: Iridium , Motorolla, BGAN etc device is within Australia or overseas.
I think perhaps what people may be referring to is when we call their satellite phone from a mobile as this can be rather expensive ie Optus calls from mobile to satellite phone have known to be charged at around $11.00 per minute.
Kind Regards
Reply By: Member - Duncan W (WA) - Tuesday, Dec 17, 2013 at 10:33
Tuesday, Dec 17, 2013 at 10:33
Hi Phil, did the person who you contacted mention whether this was costs if you are on a monthly plan or prepaid. My understanding is that if you are on a monthly plan the phone call costs in and out are considerably cheaper than for those of us on the pre-paid option.
On a trip last year a guy had his wife call him every night (10 day trip), on his prepaid Imnarsat ISat phone and ended up with a bill
well in excess of $1000. Whereas, my prepaid was less than $100 and I phoned my wife every night also. Huge difference between receiving and sending in these examples.
I hope you're right with the figures you quote and they are the same for us on the prepaid option.
Cheers
Dunc
AnswerID:
523202
Follow Up By: Member - PJR (NSW) - Tuesday, Dec 17, 2013 at 10:57
Tuesday, Dec 17, 2013 at 10:57
I didn't ask Dunc. She knows that I am on a pre paid account as we have spoken a few times. So I would guess that they are for prepaid.
Now I know why we have so much in our prepaid account. I thought that I was using it all up with the emails and the one or two calls that I had made. I believed the previous thread. That's teach me a lesson. NAH. Too old to learn!!!!
I even purchased another block without checking the balance. I don't recall a "check balance" option in the previous phone software version. This one does.
I just copied the email and took out some personal information at the end. They are he words mate.
Why not turn it on and find out for sure. First get the balance using the phone. I think it's an email function. It's there somewhere. Then make a VERY short call to your home phone. Then get the balance again. If the stated balance is "live" you will soon find out. Sat phone to home phone is the cheapest one so use it. I will try it after lunch.
Phil
FollowupID:
804517
Follow Up By: Member - PJR (NSW) - Tuesday, Dec 17, 2013 at 12:19
Tuesday, Dec 17, 2013 at 12:19
Duncan re the prepaid and plan costs. For Addcom and my agreement, it's the same whether I use a pre-paid or a monthly plan we pay the same.
I did the test also. Check below.
Phil
FollowupID:
804521
Reply By: DiscoTourer - Tuesday, Dec 17, 2013 at 11:37
Tuesday, Dec 17, 2013 at 11:37
PJR the post you were referring, as you mentioned at the end of your post, was the one mostly with regard to incoming call costs. Different prefix of number have different incoming calls rates charged to those making the call, which is detailed on the inmarsat website...it can be incredibly high.
I no longer ring my dads inmarsat phone as the cost is horrendous. I now have him call me, and I reimburse his account for the actual cost of each call, which is substantially cheaper.
Are you in Tassie yet ?
Brett.....
AnswerID:
523204
Follow Up By: Member - PJR (NSW) - Tuesday, Dec 17, 2013 at 12:17
Tuesday, Dec 17, 2013 at 12:17
That's the way to go Brett. I have told my sons the same thing. If they want to talk to me then either send me an email or call and I will call back. Emai is the best.
Next week mate. And the bloody Western Explorer is closed near
Arthur River or somewhere and making it hard to do the
Arthur River area tracks and then drive down through
Corinna. Apparently there is a land slip down towards
Corinna that blocks the road and they are stopping traffic way north. A bugger!!!! I am hoping that they will let us onto the Balfour. It's not clear. It's a long drive around to get into
Zeehan so we shall see.
Phil
FollowupID:
804520
Follow Up By: Member - PJR (NSW) - Tuesday, Dec 17, 2013 at 12:28
Tuesday, Dec 17, 2013 at 12:28
I was just thinking (careful Phil) that if each reseller had a unique prefix then that would explain why some would charge more than Addcom charge those who call us on our satellite phone.
Different prefix = different reseller = different costs. Looks like we accidently got a good one.
Phil
FollowupID:
804522
Follow Up By: Motherhen - Wednesday, Dec 18, 2013 at 10:25
Wednesday, Dec 18, 2013 at 10:25
Hi Phil
Off topic, but I have been following the Western Explorer closure since the August landslip, and as it is major it will take months to reroute the road for future safety. We were too long for the
Corinna Ferry so had to go the long way around. It was on our plans 'if time' to go down the Western Explorer at the end of our trip, but with so much to see, there wasn't the time.
Good news is that the
Queenstown to
Strahan Abt railway will be re-opened on 6th January 2014, after being closed since late April this year.
Motherhen
FollowupID:
804566
Follow Up By: Member - PJR (NSW) - Wednesday, Dec 18, 2013 at 17:13
Wednesday, Dec 18, 2013 at 17:13
Hi MH Some sanity at last. The closure is a real pain but we will not die. This trip was a quick decision and didn't find out until late.
And we will be home before the train opens.
No worries we will not be sitting still. We have been before but not with the 4WD.
Hey MH. A very special Merry Christmas to you and yours.
Catchya
FollowupID:
804595
Reply By: Member - PJR (NSW) - Tuesday, Dec 17, 2013 at 12:02
Tuesday, Dec 17, 2013 at 12:02
Okay I just did a small test.
Balance: 112.70 units.
Called home for 1 minute.
Balance: 111.45 units
Cost of call: 1.25 units
The actual dollar value depends on the exchnmage rate programmed into the portal at the time of the call. I am waiting on the exchange rate that the portal actually uses.
That says enough for me. Maybe those figures are for a plan account.
Mine was prepaid.
What people must also keep in mind is that it also depends on what the agreement is that the individual retailer have agreed to with Inmarsat. ie How much they pay Inmarsat for time on the bird. Addcom apparently has bargained
well.
Still nowhere near the $20 as some have claimed in the past.
Phil
AnswerID:
523206
Reply By: Member - Boobook - Tuesday, Dec 17, 2013 at 13:09
Tuesday, Dec 17, 2013 at 13:09
Phil, complaints about Isatphone pro are not the calling out costs, they are the costs to call someone with a sat phone.
For example
Previous post on expensive costs
I'd call $58.00 for a 2 min call and $11.00 for a 30 second call about as expensive as it can get.
It's not pub talk, caravan forums are littered with examples of call costs to Isatphone pro. Ranging from $15 per minute to $25 or more.
AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: Member - PJR (NSW) - Tuesday, Dec 17, 2013 at 13:51
Tuesday, Dec 17, 2013 at 13:51
Exactly. And that's what I am trying to get across to you. The cost is between the supplier who those people use and Inmarsat. Not between Inmarsat and the isatphone..
A lot of our family are with Vodafone. All calls between Vodafone family members are free. But If I call outside that realm it can cost heaps as
well. But I will call my contact right now and ask her to read your post and see what they say.
In the meantime something more important. Back to the cricket.
Phil
FollowupID:
804523
Follow Up By: Member - Boobook - Tuesday, Dec 17, 2013 at 16:39
Tuesday, Dec 17, 2013 at 16:39
Phil, I think you have me mixed up with someone else. The post above is my first on this thread. Are you referring to me?
Also the gouging issue, is the call termination fee that Isatphone and to a lesser degree other Sat phone providers charge the 'calling' carriers.
That is, Inmarsat charge Telstra or Vodofone or Optus a high fee to accept the calls and pass them to the Isatphone pro user, those 3 carriers then pass these costs plus some to the caller.
That is why it costs a few cents a minute to call competitive markets like say HK, US, UK etc but a small fortune to call captive markets like say Mongolia or North Korea. The terminating carrier stings the calling parties carrier, and it is passed on to the caller. Some carriers even make most of their profit that way.
In Australia the call termination fee is 4.8 cents per minute. Ie if you call an optus phone from a telstra phone, then Telstra have to pay optus 4.8cents per minute. I guess if you call a inmarst phone from telstra etc, they have to pay Inmarsat around $12 per min. That is the gouging right there.
Call termination is explained
here
Hope this helps
FollowupID:
804536
Follow Up By: Member - PJR (NSW) - Tuesday, Dec 17, 2013 at 16:46
Tuesday, Dec 17, 2013 at 16:46
Yes I did.
It;s olcoolone who I need. He is wrong. Both Telstra and Addcom, our Isatphone people, say that it should have only cost around$10 a minute. Not $29 a minute.
I beg your forgiveness sire. I am also trying to watch the cricket and it is all happening there.
Catchya
FollowupID:
804537
Follow Up By: Member - Boobook - Tuesday, Dec 17, 2013 at 18:31
Tuesday, Dec 17, 2013 at 18:31
Phil
I don't want to get in the middle if a shyt fight between Olcoolone and yourself but I think you need to check the costs again.
Telstra charge $10 per 30 SECONDS, not per minute to call Inmarsat, and it's a $8.50 Flagfall. I just called Telstra and checked.
So by my reckoning that's $28.50 for a 1 min call.
FollowupID:
804541
Follow Up By: Member - PJR (NSW) - Tuesday, Dec 17, 2013 at 20:15
Tuesday, Dec 17, 2013 at 20:15
So did I. And with Telstra. I asked for "How much to call from a Telstra satellite phone on Iridium to an Isatphone on Inmarsat". The bloke said $10 a minute. Also he didn't mention any flag fall.
I will check tomorrow if I feel like it. And ask about the flag fall that you mentioned. If the bloke answered my question then it should have been included. Maybe it's another things that depends on the plan.
In the meantime the idea to check yourself still fits.
And the cost from an Isatphone to home and from a land line to the Isatphone still haven't been challenged and lets face it if it's an emergency how many of us would want to call another satellite phone. And "000" is totally free.
Phil
FollowupID:
804545
Follow Up By: Member - PJR (NSW) - Tuesday, Dec 17, 2013 at 20:36
Tuesday, Dec 17, 2013 at 20:36
I just noticed something, you said "to call Inmarsat". I said to call the Isatphone. The girl at Addcom said that costs to call a phone on an Inmarsat direct contract can be excessive and more than
mine on my Addcomm contract because Addcom buys heaps of bandwidth from Inmarsat and set their own prices to their customers.
Isn't it the same with mobile phones. Not everyone has towers all over Australia. So a lot of "retailers" buy time on the tower, at a much cheaper rate than you and I could and then add a fee for themselves and that's the cost to their subscribers. Under this scenario it is quite possible that the cost of a specific type of call could be less than the same call in some of Telstra's plans. Like my free Vodaphone to Vodaphone calls. But the rest are dearer.
You see the ads on TV all the time.
We shall see what Telstra say tomorrow. I have had enough tonight.
Phil
FollowupID:
804548
Follow Up By: Member - Boobook - Tuesday, Dec 17, 2013 at 21:05
Tuesday, Dec 17, 2013 at 21:05
Dunno Phil, I thought the Isatphone Pro was a phone using Inmarsat.
Why don't you call your phone from a Telstra line and talk for 1 minute. Then call Telstra and see what the call cost was. According to your theory it shouldn't be too much.
I'll back $27.50.
:-)
FollowupID:
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Follow Up By: Member - PJR (NSW) - Tuesday, Dec 17, 2013 at 22:39
Tuesday, Dec 17, 2013 at 22:39
You can get an Isatphone on the Inmarsat service by going direct to Inmarsat themselves and buying it from them and also by going to a 3rd part providor like Addcom as I did and get the phone from them. Going direct to Inmarsat and getting the Isatphone phone from Inmarsat costs more. Luckily we chose the local
Canberra outlet.
We shall see about the cost to call the satellite phone from home on our next phone bill. I actually called our satellite phone today.
Phil
FollowupID:
804557
Follow Up By: Member - PJR (NSW) - Wednesday, Dec 18, 2013 at 12:13
Wednesday, Dec 18, 2013 at 12:13
This is a real pain. Maybe I shouldn't have started the thread.
Ben at Telstra tells me that a Telstra/Iridium sat call to an Isatphone on Inmarsat is $20.00 per minute for a 0011 call to a 8707 number. Plus flag fall of 45 cents. I asked him to verify that and he said 45 cents. Not $8.50 as you said. That doesn't matter. People are too confused enough as it is. I suggest that they call the suppliers themselves.
At least our $20 a minute is the same.
I have also learnt that the charge of $20 a minute is not an Inmarsat charge. It is all Telstra/Optus. I have also been told that other Iridium providers, and in deed other satellite systems operators like Pivotel etc, charge less than Telstra. Telstra/Optus on Iridium is the dearest to call Inmarsat.
I reckon that $58 was either a big error on Telstra's behalf (believable) or it was for longer than 2 minutes (also believable). Maybe a smidgin under 3 minutes would be more like it, and he simply didn't worry about the 50+ seconds. $58 divided by 20 = 2.9. That makes the call 2.9 minutes long. Fine details!!
Suffice to say that from all this cross satellite systems calls can be expensive (up to $20 a minute) and that each service providor should be asked about them. All other calls are comparable. And as to who pays; I believe that the party "needing" the call should pay the cost.
At least 000 is free.
Had enough??? I have.
Phil
FollowupID:
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Follow Up By: Member - Boobook - Wednesday, Dec 18, 2013 at 12:32
Wednesday, Dec 18, 2013 at 12:32
Yep Phil I've had enough LOL
I stupidly injected myself in this discussion over one minor point.
Suffice it to say it costs a bloody huge fortune for people to call any sat phone from a land line or elsewhere unless it's an Iridium phone on a standard Telstra mobile SIM, then it only costs the caller the same as a call to any other mobile number. But then it costs a smaller fortune of $4.00 per min for the owner of the Sat phone to accept the call.
I'll still beg to differ on where the cost comes from though. I don't think you'll even find one of those penny per minute VOIP providers who charge less than about $15 per min to call an Isatphone pro.
Anyway merry Xmas, but I won't be calling you on your sat phone.
FollowupID:
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Follow Up By: olcoolone - Wednesday, Dec 18, 2013 at 16:55
Wednesday, Dec 18, 2013 at 16:55
Just checked to phone a Inmarsat phone with an 8 prefix from my Iridium is $8.00 per 30 seconds and a flag fall of $5.00.
FollowupID:
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Follow Up By: Member - PJR (NSW) - Wednesday, Dec 18, 2013 at 17:20
Wednesday, Dec 18, 2013 at 17:20
Hey BB
Never used voip. I don't even think that the computer has a camera a or microphone.
All we need is $1.10 for the sons and their family to call us and 91 cents a minute for us to call them. 000 is free. Don't give the number to anyone else. There is no reason at all for us to call a sat phone. They don't deliver.
So I'd call our way of working cheap.
Catchya
Merry Christmas mate
Phil
FollowupID:
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Follow Up By: Member - Boobook - Wednesday, Dec 18, 2013 at 17:31
Wednesday, Dec 18, 2013 at 17:31
you don't need to use a PC to use VoIP just a normal phone.
FollowupID:
804598
Follow Up By: Member - PJR (NSW) - Wednesday, Dec 18, 2013 at 17:45
Wednesday, Dec 18, 2013 at 17:45
No need. With the family on Vodaphone all family calls are free anyway.
Phil
FollowupID:
804605
Follow Up By: Member - PJR (NSW) - Wednesday, Dec 18, 2013 at 17:47
Wednesday, Dec 18, 2013 at 17:47
Question. Isn't voip using the internet. If so I cant use it. No internet on my phone. Thank god.
Phil
FollowupID:
804606
Follow Up By: Member - PJR (NSW) - Wednesday, Dec 18, 2013 at 19:56
Wednesday, Dec 18, 2013 at 19:56
Thanks but no thanks.
Sorry mate I should have said earlier that I am not interested in it. I know what it is and I had used the initial versions back in the late 90's.
I don't even take my mobile. I don't care about being "off the net". No Borg society members in our car. Whatever it is it can wait until we get home. In fact the best part of the Simpson drive was at the start when we did not see another car for the first three days.
Thanks mate
Phil
FollowupID:
804617
Reply By: Member - PJR (NSW) - Tuesday, Dec 17, 2013 at 16:53
Tuesday, Dec 17, 2013 at 16:53
I have just sussed out the erronious claim by Olcoolone. I spoke to both Telstra and Addcomm, our satellite provider, and BOTH say that it shouldn't have cost more than around $11 a minute for his call from an Iridium satellite phone to an Isatphone satelliet phone.
This is the kind of mistake that can badly affect a company and exactly why we don't have a name and blame thread. Olcoolone I hope that you read this and keep it in mind the next time that you discuss satellite phone charges. They dropped it as soon as you called because it was an error.
I had read that a while back and after talking off line I though that I should bring this up due to the increased interest in satellite phones and the associated charges.
Merry Christmass
Regards
Phil
AnswerID:
523221
Follow Up By: olcoolone - Wednesday, Dec 18, 2013 at 08:09
Wednesday, Dec 18, 2013 at 08:09
Seeing you have all the time in the world, ask your home/mobile carrier for call costs to number prefix of 87077/ 87078 and let me know.
Many Inmarsat users have this prefix.
FollowupID:
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Follow Up By: Motherhen - Wednesday, Dec 18, 2013 at 10:28
Wednesday, Dec 18, 2013 at 10:28
The Telstra link does not work for me olcoolone; I get "File not found" error.
Motherhen
FollowupID:
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Follow Up By: Member - PJR (NSW) - Wednesday, Dec 18, 2013 at 13:00
Wednesday, Dec 18, 2013 at 13:00
Olcoolone This is a bit long but bear with me. I mean no ill.
I have wasted enough time. You check it if you need it.
eEarlier today spoke to Telstra and they say that the $58 was either an error or a legitimate call for 2.9 seconds. Addcom and Inmarsat couldn't tell me a cost for any call from Telstra/Iridium to their phones. They keep saying that it's the calling service provider (Telstra/Optus) who sets the cost.
Also please go back to that statement and tell us the exact time taken for the call. $58 is about correct for a 2.9 second call from Telstra/Iridium to an Isatphone 8707 number on Inmarsat. $20 a minute plus flag falls.
Quoting your $58 charge was good to make people think but the inference that Inmarsat phone callcharges are high is wrong. It was all a Telstra charge.
You are correct in warning that any satellite phone call can be expensive and that they can be as high as $20 a minute. Everyone should be aware of the costs but to say that all calls from any satellite phone could be as high as $20 is a bit far fetched. They are all different with Optus possibly having the highest charges.
I just tell the family that it costs about $1.5 a minute to call us and they pay if it isn't our emergency. The boys are happy with that. They use the free email service anyway.
Messy thread and sorry to confused readers.
Merry Christmas
Phil
FollowupID:
804575
Follow Up By: olcoolone - Wednesday, Dec 18, 2013 at 14:01
Wednesday, Dec 18, 2013 at 14:01
Don't know what is happening to the link...... if you google "telstra call charges for 87077" and find the "wholesale service section of our customer terms - Telstra" and click on the PDF version, it is all in there.
Phil, obviously you have only asked about your number prefix that may be using a lower cost satellite, I would say the more expensive incoming calls are associated with a better satellite.
So I'm not WRONG and many don't know this until it's too late, we found out the hard way 3 wks after the 4 calls........ yeap
well over $20 for less than 10 minutes of calls.
As I have said and I will say it again to you I ALWAYS ADVISE PEOPLE TO CHECK INCOMING CALL RATES!
So please before you start mouthing off at me "Olcoolone" on here please get your facts right first and sit down, ask questions and listen, you might learn something you obviously think you already know.... to many experts on here.
And don't forget to add GST......
Have a look at the other forums saying the same thing....
FollowupID:
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Follow Up By: Member - PJR (NSW) - Thursday, Dec 19, 2013 at 14:11
Thursday, Dec 19, 2013 at 14:11
Well maybe you should have looked into the whole picture when you got it. Your loss.
I did and I am happy. $1.60 a minute to call your satellite phone per minute from my satellite phone. Not that I ever would. So who got the better deal.
Merry Christmas all. I have had enough of this petty bickering. As Captain Picard would say. "Number one! Engage!".
Phil
FollowupID:
804647
Follow Up By: olcoolone - Thursday, Dec 19, 2013 at 15:20
Thursday, Dec 19, 2013 at 15:20
"
Well maybe you should have looked into the whole picture when you got it. Your loss."
What are you on about, my Iridium phone cost the same as a standard mobile call and if you have free calls it's included.
As for cost..... 60 cents for 30 seconds with a 40 cent flagfall.
You have lost the plot!
FollowupID:
804648
Follow Up By: Motherhen - Thursday, Dec 19, 2013 at 15:36
Thursday, Dec 19, 2013 at 15:36
Surely we have a thread here with plenty of information coming out to help people to make their choices; be their preference based on projected usage patterns (incoming or outgoing calls), financial, or any other reason. It does not make one product better than the other for all, or anyone else's choices wrong.
We have choices, let us make them to suit ourselves, and not knock others for theirs.
Peace
FollowupID:
804649
Reply By: Hendo75 - Tuesday, Dec 17, 2013 at 17:41
Tuesday, Dec 17, 2013 at 17:41
Hi Phil,
I have read this post with interest, I have been searching for a sat phone service provider, I can't however find them on the WWW, do you have a web address for addcomm or similar.
Thanks in advance
AnswerID:
523224
Follow Up By: Member - PJR (NSW) - Tuesday, Dec 17, 2013 at 18:57
Tuesday, Dec 17, 2013 at 18:57
Hendo
Try:
http://www.acssatellite.com.au/
Among others they have both the Isatphone and Iridium. My contact is Debbie. But I do not think that she is not in sales.
We actually purchased the Isatphone phone through Safe City
Services Pty Ltd at: jwilon@safecity.com.au Jackie was my contact. I think they Safe City back then were the local
Canberra and surrounding NSW area managers for Addcomm. Not sure though.
I would trust either one.
I don't get anything from this also. Only too glad to help.
Phil
FollowupID:
804542
Follow Up By: mike39 - Wednesday, Dec 18, 2013 at 08:02
Wednesday, Dec 18, 2013 at 08:02
We purchased ours with the govt. rebate through Marlec p/l on the NSW Central Coast.
As far as I could ascertain at the time the Isatphone was only a prepaid service NOT a monthly or other plan.
At the time the prepay lasted 2yrs., now revised down to 6 months. However if topped up before expiry the balance plus the top up carries over for a further 6 months continuing.
Re the costs, Marlec provide an info sheet showing a raft of cost combinations to and from all the possible permutations. The cheapest being Isatphone to fixed (AU) landline, text, email.
We ask our family etc. to text or email us (costs them normal fee) and we reply by voice/text/email.
Very easy to
check balance and expiry of units and top up can be made via the phone.
Mike
FollowupID:
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Follow Up By: Member - PJR (NSW) - Wednesday, Dec 18, 2013 at 12:17
Wednesday, Dec 18, 2013 at 12:17
Maybe that's how I ended up with 100+ units for 18 months. Just topped up a little each trip and the "extra" carried through.
Merry Christmas
Phil
FollowupID:
804572
Reply By: olcoolone - Wednesday, Dec 18, 2013 at 08:02
Wednesday, Dec 18, 2013 at 08:02
A Repost seeing I started this in another post and Phil has taken offense to it.
If you looked further and actually listened you would have discovered it depends on the sat phone number prefix. Stopping thinking what you have everyone else has.
Different Inmarsat resellers use different satellites hence different call costs.
Friends who have a Inmarsat phone on a pre paid plan through TR Telecom has a number prefix of 87077 and it cost us nearly $23.00 per minute.
There are many TR Telecom customers on this
forum and others who don't know this.
As outlined in thread 103277.
So before jumping and saying "They were wrong and you are wrong in using those figures of $58 (2 minutes) and $23 (per minute) charges in bagging Isatphone." sitdown shut up and learn and stop thinking you know everything.
Why are you so protective of inmarsat, they are just a multi billion $$$$$ phone carrier how don't care one once about you..... may I suggest that you don't become so personally attached. I didn't know it was going to tug on your emotional heart strings and affect you as it has.
As I have always said "
check incoming call costs first"
AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: mike39 - Wednesday, Dec 18, 2013 at 09:29
Wednesday, Dec 18, 2013 at 09:29
I dont quite get your rationale here olcoolone.
Inmarsat are not just a "phone carrier", they own and operate the geo. stationary satellite cluster used to operate the network. Simply google "inmarsat" for full information.
My isatphone also has a number prefix of 87077, as does the one of a friend purchased through a different outlet, neither being through TR Telecom.
The simple fact of the matter is all Isatphone Pro units uniquely send/receive through the one cluster of geo stationary satellites, totally dissimilar to the low orbit groups used by other
services.
And yes, it is bloody costly to call any Isatphone number from a landline. The brochure explains it fully.
mike
FollowupID:
804564
Follow Up By: olcoolone - Wednesday, Dec 18, 2013 at 14:16
Wednesday, Dec 18, 2013 at 14:16
Don't know what you think a telecommunications carrier is, a telecommunications carrier is a company who owns and operates a telecommunications network.
Don't get this confused with on sellers and resellers who don't own the network.
Most phone carriers on sell to retailers to on sell to the public at a wholesale level, you're going through a reseller with you
sat phone, not the carrier.
Example....... Telstra wholesale their nextG network to their wholesale customers like Harvey Norman, JB Hi Fi, All Phones, Crazy Johns who then on sell it to their consumer for a profit..... Telstra also see it direct at a much higher price to the end consumer.
There are a whole range of satellites used offering different bandwidths and features that one reseller may choose or not choose to have access to and may deem it is not necessary for their market base..
A plan for government or business is more expensive for a reason and most of the time it comes down to bandwidth, prioritisation and features.
The same goes for internet connections on fixed line and mobiles.
One thing that hasn't changed in this world is "user pays" so if you want better you pay more.... if you want less you pay less.
FollowupID:
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Reply By: prado 01 - Wednesday, Dec 18, 2013 at 09:06
Wednesday, Dec 18, 2013 at 09:06
Thank goodness we are with Iridium, no such problems.
Cheers
AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: Member - PJR (NSW) - Wednesday, Dec 18, 2013 at 17:09
Wednesday, Dec 18, 2013 at 17:09
What problems.
I just tell the boys that if they call then they pay and its about $1.10 cents a minute. I don't give the number to anyone elde.
If I call them it's 91 cents a minute.
000 is free.
Where is the problem there?
Phil
FollowupID:
804594
Reply By: pop2jocem - Wednesday, Dec 18, 2013 at 10:17
Wednesday, Dec 18, 2013 at 10:17
Iridium, a very hard, brittle silvery white element, atomic No 77 (which was going to be the number of geo stationary satellites).
Also iridium dust very reactive and can be inflammable.
Hmmmm, sounds familiar,(;=))
Cheers
Pop
AnswerID:
523239
Reply By: Sigmund - Thursday, Dec 19, 2013 at 08:28
Thursday, Dec 19, 2013 at 08:28
I rent a landline from my ISP who buys wholesale capacity from Telstra. It advised a cost of $16 per min. to use it to call our Isatphone Pro. Not that it's an issue as most Isatphone Pro retailers in Aus have a free web facility to send a text msg. Then the recipient calls back.
The old offers of long-expiry prepaid for the phone have mostly dried up but we found a deal at clientsat.com.au Not the cheapest unit cost but set-and-forget works for us and we got very quick sevice from them when under the pump. (No connection).
AnswerID:
523260
Follow Up By: Member - PJR (NSW) - Thursday, Dec 19, 2013 at 10:45
Thursday, Dec 19, 2013 at 10:45
Hi Sigmund
You said "It advised a cost of $16 per min. to use it to call our Isatphone Pro". Is that from a home land line, a mobile or another
satellite phone?
The free emails are handy hey!
Phil
FollowupID:
804636
Follow Up By: Sigmund - Thursday, Dec 19, 2013 at 11:28
Thursday, Dec 19, 2013 at 11:28
Yeah Phil. Those free short msgs are great.
And you can set up a msg that will be sent from the
satphone with coords to predefined recipients with a few keystrokes, just like a
Spot Messenger but for a fee. Haven't done it myself.
$16 per min from a landline, ie. handset and copper wire snaking from your house held together with plakky bags and caulking compound courtesy of the big T. That's with Iinet/Westnet as reseller. They're cheaper for landline calls all round. The rate with T. direct used to be much cheaper but they decided to exploit their monopoly position. Pity the ACCC is overloaded.
FollowupID:
804640
Reply By: PeterInSa - Thursday, Dec 19, 2013 at 13:49
Thursday, Dec 19, 2013 at 13:49
Looking at using credit thats left over of my $200, 2 year credit before it expires ( I know I can roll it over).
Can I easily stop voicemail, just in case I call an interstae/OS friend and he/she calls me back on a landline to our Isatphone Imm/Pro ?
Does a landline caller get charged for calling a Isatphone that does not answer ( I will have the phone turned Off? Only turned on for calls.
Thanks
Peter
AnswerID:
523270
Reply By: Member - Steve M1 (WA) - Thursday, Dec 19, 2013 at 16:11
Thursday, Dec 19, 2013 at 16:11
I had a Isatphone and can confirm that incoming call costs are charged @ approx $20 a minute to the caller. I have since switched to an Iridium sat phone and incoming calls are charged @ approx $2 a minute to the caller.
When making a call the Isatphone was slightly cheaper but had more time delay.
Regards
Steve
AnswerID:
523273
Reply By: Member - Stephen L (Clare SA) - Thursday, Dec 19, 2013 at 18:32
Thursday, Dec 19, 2013 at 18:32
Hi Phil
Good post and that's for bringing it to our attention. As for the cost of making calls from the Sat Phone, I presumed that because InmarSat was the owner of the Satellites and the service provider, that all deals would be the same.....well how wrong am I.
Since buying the phone here in
Adelaide, we have had good service from the Agent who used TC Communications in
Sydney as its service provider. Pricing was good until InmarSat purchased TC Communications and since then the price of the recharge vouchers have slowly been creeping up........so typical when you have the monopoly of owning everything including a major service provider.
I contacted Deb at Addcom and she has been very helpful and there recharges are quite cheaper. The problem no is that I have 256 Units to use before I can swap over to them, but yes I will be making the move. The down side is that I will have to get a new SIM and phone number, but big deal, as like most people that have the IsatPhone, I only ever make out going calls.
Thanks for bringing this to out attention.
Have a Great Christmas.
Cheers
Stephen
AnswerID:
523278
Follow Up By: Member - PJR (NSW) - Thursday, Dec 19, 2013 at 18:42
Thursday, Dec 19, 2013 at 18:42
Worth talking to isn't she.
And you have a good one.
Phil
FollowupID:
804661