There are cellular phones and then there are cellular phones. All these varieties of tele-communicating devices coming into the service of mankind, appears in a cluster of different shape, size and functionalities. If the ones in the name of mobile phones are the best friends to one's mobility, there are some in the name of satellite phones, fulfilling communication need of a maverick, globe tottering soul. Both the telecommunication devices earn maximum attraction for being wireless and portable.



If mobile phones have gathered the maximum amount of interest from the millions world over, the rapid up-gradation in the form of feature and technology augmentation has changed the outlook of this device from a bulky communication tool to a sleek and trendy gadget. Developments in terms of telecommunication science and microelectronics have not only miniaturized the mobile phones to fit the size of a fist, but also have made many of them turn into some al-rounder devices. Other than performing the roles of a communication device, mobile phones today function as a digital camera, hi-fi music system, internet browser and many more.

A satellite phone or a satphone on the other hand, is a mobile phone that is free from any mobile network to follow and works in direct communication with an orbiting communication satellite. Based on the architecture of the device, a satphone phone may be even used to communicate from any corner of the earth. The total weight of the entire device, which comprises a base or 'earth station' and a handset, comes to be similar to the one mobile phones of 1980s. The installation of a satphone comprises a rugged, rack-mounted electronics and a steerable microwave antenna tracking the movements of the satellite to which it is linked. This device though requires to be operated under an open sky, works as a communication device for the ones in expedition to any remote corner of the earth where terrestrial cellular service is unavailable.

Now be it price, network supportability, size or any other factor marking the differences between these two tools of communication, in the different stages of journey, they are the two most important devices for a globetrotter to stay connected to the world.