Rent a Satellite Phone

Looking to hire or rent a satellite phone?

Welcome to the cheapest satellite phone plans in Australia. You’ve found the right place to rent a satellite phone. We make it really easy for you and keep you well-informed along the way. We can offer you 25 cents per minute for the Inmarsat service. Follow this link for Inmarsat

Call 0415 263 750 or 0488 011 203 or email info@epirbhire.com.au

27/4 Support just for you.

What does it cost to rent a satellite phone?

Prices start at $150 for the first week. It just gets cheaper the longer you have it, e.g. three-week hire starts at $290.
Our prices include rental, GST, delivery and return delivery, with no more to pay outside of calls. Outbound calls can be as cheap as $0.25c/min for Inmarsat and $1 per minute for Thuraya. We even offer you $10 in free calls to familiarise yourself with and learn how to use the phone before you leave. We really don’t like your first time using the phone to be in an emergency situation.

There are three satellite systems and seven handset models to choose from, noting each handset will only work on that carrier’s network.
For your peace of mind, we need to make sure you get the most effective phone for your needs. Let’s have a chat and discuss your expectations for your remote travels.
We have hundreds of phones and never run out and there is no cancellation fee if we have not sent the gear.

Is it easy to rent a satellite phone?

It certainly is with us & we make all our prices up-front, with no surprises. We will make sure you have the best device when you are out of mobile phone coverage. Let us know your delivery and payment details and we will get the equipment sent out to you well before you leave. The rest of the process is very streamlined.
Please give us a call or you can browse through our website with the three most popular satellite carriers.
Follow the links for Inmarsat, Thuraya or Iridium.

We’re happy to take after-hours calls on 0488 011 203 or 0415 263 750 for your queries. Just not too late! 😉 or email info@epirbhire.com.au
We are masters of the “last minute order”, however, if you can please make our lives less stressful and book early. If you plan to head into the desert regions next April let’s have a chat now and we will book a reminder call for you in March.

Safe Travels – Peter, Tiffany, Jarrod and Caroline.

A quick word about Satellite phones.

When outside of GSM coverage, satellite phones are an excellent communication tool, but you need the right one.
They transmit to satellites that are over 35,000km away or orbit Earth at 26,000 kph at a height of 700km.
If the phone cannot clearly see the satellite it will not work well. Above all, unlike GSM mobiles, they do not work inside a house or buildings. Except in the movies… 😉
Call quality has improved, however, it is lower than your GSM mobile.
Use them correctly and you’ll be impressed with a Satellite Phone’s performance. Why not rent a satellite phone to test it out?

Only the best satellite networks

We leverage the three best satellite networks in Australia; Inmarsat, Thuraya and Iridium. Each network has its strengths and weaknesses, so free feel to give us a call and chat about your needs before making any big decisions. If you are thinking about buying a satellite phone, it makes sense to try it before you buy it.
Look at our ex-hire specials which come with a fabulous 18 months warranty and 24/7 support for the life of the phone.
Happy to take after-hours calls for a satellite phone deal. 0488 011 203 or 0415 263 750 for queries, or email info@epirbhire.com.au
* Please check out our Inmarsat special offer. We are officially offering the cheapest satellite phone call plan in Australia. Calls to any Standard Mobile or Landline Numbers globally: $0.25/min & $0.10/SMS. (for the first hour)

Thuraya is one of the newest networks to market operating via Geostationary Satellite. It offers a low-cost monthly call plan and excellent voice-quality service. You need to keep the antenna pointing to the satellite, to ensure a consistent connection and voice quality. This is more critical in Tasmania than in Broome. We have used it in both locations, call for a chat. The XT-Lite is my phone of choice and is excellent value for money. The XT-Lite is perfect for Western Australia, South Australia, Northern Territory, western Queensland and north-western New South Wales and for most travel west of the Great Dividing Range.

Follow this link for more info to rent a Thuraya Satellite Phone …

Inmarsat is in essence the oldest and most experienced network in the market. Although it only entered the handheld market in late 2010 with the IsatPhonePro (still our favourite handset). Like Thuraya, Inmarsat operates with Geostationary Satellites. If you can see the satellite and are stationary, your call will not drop out. Australia is very lucky to have the stationary satellite parked over Papua New Guinea. Offering a robust high call quality and a device that is a reliable and solid performer. Inmarsat network offers global coverage, excluding the Poles and serves Australia really well. The rental phones include the cheapest satellite phone call plan in Australia. Calls to any Standard Mobile or Landline Numbers on the planet will be: $0.25 per min & $0.10/SMS. (for the first hour)

Follow this link for more info to rent an Inmarsat Satellite Phone…

Iridium has recently updated its network of 75 orbiting satellites which has made a marked improvement to call quality. As the satellites are moving it’s important to remember you may experience drop-outs; depending on your position in relation to the passing satellite orbits. If you are in mountainous terrain and the satellite passes behind the hill you will lose the connection. Iridium charges premium rates for its airtime services. Their equipment is robust and high quality. It’s a truly global network.

Follow this link for more info to rent an Iridium Satellite Phone…

To rent a Satellite Phone

Contact us – give us a call on 0415 263 750 or 02 4997 8183 to work through your requirements.
Also, free feel to read over the info on each of the networks. We provide an excellent overview of each network, highlighting its strengths and weaknesses

Let’s get you connected – We’re available 24/7

See our happy customer reviews – click here

Compare Telstra Iridium Service to Pivotel Satellite

Only three handheld Satellite Phone Network Services work well in Australia. They are; Inmarsat, Thuraya or Iridium.
Telstra only supplies Iridium services, offered on 12 and 24-month contract plans. Pivotel provides Iridium services on 12-month contract terms and pay-by-the-month (with a connection fee).
Pivotel supports all three Satphone services, which feature a 04′ standard mobile number. This allows people to call you at standard mobile phone rates. The Telstra 0147 prefix inbound call rate is more expensive. It is actually very hard to find out the cost via a non-Telstra provider. We’ve found calling a Telstra satellite phone will cost between $1.80-$4.80/minute unless, of course, you’re using a linked Telstra account.
In our opinion, Iridium is good for some situations however the hardware is very expensive. In most circumstances, Thuraya and Inmarsat will perform better.

Geostationary satellites

Inmarsat and Thuraya satellite phones use satellites in geostationary orbit (GSO), which appear at a fixed position in the sky. These systems can maintain near-continuous global coverage with only three or four satellites, reducing launch costs. The satellites used for these systems are very heavy (about 5000 kg) and expensive to build and launch. The satellites orbit at an altitude of 35,786 km above the Earth’s surface; a small delay is present while making a phone call due to the distance from users. The amount of bandwidth available on these systems is substantially higher than that of the low Earth orbit (LEO) systems (such as Iridium).

Limits of Geostationary Satellites

Geostationary satellite phones can only be used at lower latitudes, generally between 70 degrees north and 70 degrees south of the equator. At higher latitudes, the satellite appears at such a low angle in the sky that radio frequency interference from terrestrial sources in the same frequency bands can interfere with the signal. * note: In our experience latitudes of 55 to 60 degrees are as good as it gets and that is with clear skies.

The disadvantage of satellite systems is that in many areas, even where a large amount of open sky is present, the line-of-sight between the phone and the satellite is broken by obstacles such as steep hills and forests. The user will need to find an area with line-of-sight before using the phone. The LEO services signal is blocked by an obstacle and will drop out, one then has to wait until another satellite passes overhead. But a GSO satellite with line-of-sight will maintain connection, provided you don’t move behind an obstacle.

Low Earth Orbit

The Iridium satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO) provide worldwide wireless coverage with no gaps. LEO satellites orbit the Earth in high-speed, low-altitude orbits with an orbital time of 110 minutes, and an altitude of 800 km. Since the satellites are not geostationary, they move with respect to the ground. A given satellite is only in view of a phone for a short time, so the call must be “handed off” electronically to another satellite when one passes beyond the local horizon. Depending on the positions of both the satellite and terminal, a usable pass of an individual LEO satellite will typically last 4–15 minutes on average. At least one satellite must have line-of-sight to every coverage area at all times to guarantee coverage; thus a constellation of satellites, typically 60 to 70, is required to maintain worldwide coverage.

To rent a Satellite Phone

Let’s get you connected – We’re available 24/7

See our happy customer reviews – click here