Just a quick update on Satellite Phones. If anyone was considering purchasing one, the I can recommend the people at Pivotel.
They are based on the Gold Coast, but have resellers around the country. The offer a casual Thuraya Satellite plan for $15 per month, with calls costing approximately $1 per minute.
The other benefit of Pivotel is that your Satellite Phone has a normal Australian mobile number, and not a strange satellite number that people can find confusing. The added advantage of this is that people calling you won’t pay satellite costs, just normal mobile costs. This also means that if you forward your mobile to your satellite phone, you only pay normal forwarding charges.
As I already have a compatible Thuraya Satellite phone, I’ve just signed up and the process was extremely simple and I dealt with the same person based on the Gold Coast for the whole process.
My previous provider offered the same Thuraya service, however the casual plan was $55 per month which included $10 worth of calls. They offered a ‘suspension’ plan where you can keep your number, but not use your phone, and this cost $15 per month. They also didn’t offer a normal Australian phone number.
So now instead of paying $15 per month for a satellite phone I can’t use, I pay $15 per month for one that I can use whenever I choose.
Pivotel also offer satellite phones, like my Thuraya XT, and also a cheaper version. Plus they offer ‘Sat Sleeves’ which allow you to hook your smart phone up and use it like a satellite phone.
If you’re planning to do any more outback travel after our Simpson Desert trip, I would highly recommend investing in a Satellite Phone or some other form of emergency communications method, such as an personal emergency beacon.
If you do, be sure to check out what Pivotel have to offer here: http://www.pivotel.com.au
Cheers,
Kent.