Advantage of Using Satellite Phones
Globalstar phones look and act like mobile or fixed phones. The difference is that they can operate virtually anywhere, carrying your call / data over an exceptionally clear, secure Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) satellite signal.
Like "bent-pipes", or mirrors in the sky, the Globalstar constellation of 40 Low Earth Orbiting (LEO) satellites have a variety of advantages:
Picks up signals from over 80% of the Earth's surface
Experience coverage everywhere outside the extreme polar regions and some mid-ocean regions- Clarity of Voice
QUALCOMM's CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) technology makes Globalstar calls exceptionally secure and clear, often with better voice quality than cellular networks, and greater system capacity. - Several satellites pick up a call
This "path diversity" assures that the call does not get dropped even if a phone moves out of sight of one of the satellites. As soon as a second satellite picks up the signal, it begins to simultaneously transmit. If buildings or terrain block your phone signal, this "soft-handoff" prevents call interruption. The second satellite now maintains transmission of the original signal to the terrestrial "gateway" - No perceptible voice delay
Use of Low Earth Orbiting (LEO) satellites, moving at an altitude of 1,414 kilometers, means almost no perceptible voice delay, as compared with the noticeable time delay and echo effect of calls utilizing geosynchronous satellites, whose orbits are many times higher. - Reliability
The Globalstar system's software resides on and is monitored from the ground, not from satellites, which means easy and fast system maintenance and upgrades.
Gateways process calls, then distribute them to existing fixed and cellular local networks. Terrestrial gateways are an important part of Globalstar's strategy to keep key technology and equipment easily accessible and to integrate our services as closely as possible with existing local telephone networks. This makes the Globalstar system and its services simple to manage, expand and improve.