Suppose we went to the mountains or the African desert. There are no cell towers, no communication, no selfies to post on Instagram. What do we do? Get a satellite phone and get access to voice calls and messages regardless of weather conditions. Practically all over the globe. Or turn your smartphone into a satellite phone using special apps. Technology has come so far that today you can even install satellite equipment correctly with the help of a smartphone and dishpointers.
Thuraya SatSleeve
The popular SatSleeve app from Thuraya allows you to turn your smartphone into a satellite phone using a smart satellite phone adapter. The SatSleeve lets you make and receive calls with your smartphone even when you are outside the standard mobile network coverage. In addition, the SatSleeve app allows you to use popular apps such as WhatsApp, Facebook, and Twitter as well as to receive and send SMS messages.
GTCTrack
This application from GTC has many uses. It can be used to track the movement of the smartphone on which it is installed, but it can also be used to monitor and control a range of satellite and GSM devices compatible with this gadget. Another handy feature of the app is the ability to send and receive messages from devices in the account.
IsatHub Apps
IsatHub Apps from Inmarsat give the user the possibility to use a smartphone or a tablet for making and receiving phone calls, exchanging SMS messages, and surfing the Internet using Inmarsat satellite network and IsatHub. The voice messaging app is simple and easy to use. The monitoring app makes it easy to customize the system precisely to your individual needs. The control app also tells you where to point the IsatHub for the best signal quality.
BGAN Pointer
Lovely used by GTC office staff, the BGAN Pointer is a great tool that can be used not only with Inmarsat BGAN terminals but also with Inmarsat telephones. Using the camera installed on your phone, the handy application will tell you in which direction to look for the nearest Inmarsat satellite in the sky. Then you can turn your device in that direction to receive the highest quality signal. This is especially useful for new users, who can thus understand what might be preventing a direct line of sight to an Inmarsat satellite.
Iridium GO! & Iridium Mail
As with IsatHub, there are two applications for working with Iridium GO! In this case, one of them is used to make and receive calls and the other one allows you to easily send and receive emails via satellite. The Iridium Mail app uses XGate technology to optimize the time it takes to establish connections to send data. This application works well with the Weather 4D Pro system, which allows users at sea to receive GRIB files with weather information.
XGate
The XGate application provides users with easy access to e-mail via satellite links. The application compresses the data sent and received, thus saving up to 85% of the cost of communication time. The app also blocks the forwarding of other data that is not needed – to avoid receiving large bills.
SatFinder Lite – TV Satellites
SatFinder Lite is a lightened version of the full SatFinder app, the additional functionality of which lies in the possibility of targeting a satellite – Target Satellite and the absence of ads.
Generally speaking, SatFinder is a tool that allows finding television satellites and pointing satellite dishes at them. An auxiliary reality camera is used to “see” the satellites you want in the sky and tune in to them. The tool can be used worldwide because all the major TV satellites are in the database.
The app allows you to manually enter the latitude and longitude of your location on the ground in case your location cannot be determined automatically due to “no communication”.
The SatFinder app uses your phone’s sensors to determine your physical location and calculates the azimuth and elevation angle needed to direct your antenna.
