Thuraya is a US $ 1 billion mobile satellite telecommunications project that serves about 100 nations in Europe, Africa and Asia.  Thuraya is a leading regional satellite services provider of mobile satellite services, offering voice and data connectivity to subscribers and it is based in the UAE. 

Thuraya is the only mobile satellite service on the global market capable of providing voice, messaging, SMS and e-mail from a mobile the size of a GSM: the perfect solution for both personal and professional use for less than $1 per minute.  Thuraya is ideal for international professionals who work in construction, mining, oil & gas, for NGOs, media organizations or the army, who need to remain constantly in touch, on a restrictive budget. 

Thuraya is the arabic word for the constellation of stars known as "The Pleides" or "The Seven Sisters". 

Thuraya is a regional satellite network that uses a geosynchronous satellite which is a much higher orbit (about 22,000 miles) than the LEO satellites used by Iridium or Globalstar.  This means Thuraya is very suitable for light to moderate data applications such as email or web browsing.  Positioned as the satellite mobile operator that is most similar to the familiar GSM service, Thuraya is continuously adopting and providing service features that are popularly offered by GSM systems.  The reach of Thuraya is vast as it has 80 partners in 3 continents enabling wider coverage outside the footprint area. 

Currently serving  250,000 customers with high-quality mobile voice and data services, Thuraya is one of the world’s leading satellite operators, with coverage reaching more than two billion people across Europe, North and Central Africa as well as large parts of Southern Africa, the Middle East, Central and South Asia.  Please take into consideration the fact that Thuraya is a radio communication system that covers around 120 countries and although all kind of precautions are taken well in advance, sometimes an interfering source, which is not even operating in the same frequency bands, could cause interference to Thuraya services.

Now, Thuraya is serving the world's largest subscriber base of handheld mobile satellite services and has sold over 341,000 handheld terminals since its commercial launch in 2001.  Thanks to these characteristics, Thuraya is the most modern means within world satellite phone market; a fundamental device both for professional and private environments like boat owners, mountaineering and trekking, international travels.

Some of the satellite phones from Thuraya can be viewed at

http://www.thuraya.com/content/flexible-dual-mode-technology.html

Inmarsat is the pioneer of global mobile satellite communications and delivers broadband communications solutions to land, maritime and aeronautical users around the globe. Inmarsat is an international satellite communications system that currently provides voice and data services to over 25,000 mobile users on ships, land vehicles, and aircraft.  

Inmarsat is a world-leading provider of global mobile communications via satellite. Inmarsat is an internationally owned co-operative of 85 member countries that provides mobile satellite communications world-wide. It is headquartered in London and has a regional office inDubai, serving the Middle East and Africa, and Singapore servingthe Asia Pacific region.  

Their technology is based on geo-stationary satellite technology which, because of satellite height, requires high-power terrestrial terminals and highly directional dish antennae which must be accurately pointed to the satellite at all times. 

Inmarsat Ltd has a portfolio of mobile satellite solutions, including voice, fax, intranet and Internet access and other data services. They have 25 years' experience in designing, implementing and operating satellite networks. Inmarsat Ltd is also supported by partners in the fields of equipment manufacture, software provision and systems integration.  

Inmarsat operates seven satellites, including the first three of the third-generation Inmarsat 3 series and one Inmarsat2 satellite. They own and operate the world's most advanced fleet of commercial mobile communications spacecraft, flying in geostationary orbit, 35,786km (22,240 statute miles) above the Earth.  

At the end of December 2003, approximately 290,000 terminals were registered to access Inmarsat Ltd's services. End-users can dial into the international telephone network and send data over the Internet at any time, from anywhere, simply by connecting to an Inmarsat satellite. It is important to note that Inmarsat is a commercial system; in most cases individual users are responsible for charges incurred through use of the system. Inmarsat charges range from 6-10 dollars per minute depending on the time of day the system is used.   

Through a linkage with the shipboard computer network, it is possible to send and receive E-mail via Inmarsat. Users will be recharged at a later date in proportion to the volume of data they transferred via Inmarsat. The Inmarsat system consists of three components: (1) the space segment and its support structure; (2) gateway earth stations for maritime, land, and aeronautical mobile satellite services(respectively MMSS, LMSS and AMSS); and (3) mobile terminals of various classes suitable for operation on all kinds of vehicles. The first series of satellites used by Inmarsat, starting in 1982, was leased from several sources: COMSAT (MARISAT), ESA (MARECS), and INTELSAT (ISV-MCP), MARISAT and MARECS being precursor demonstration services and the MCP being a maritime communications package on some INTELSAT Vs. The two most heavily used systems are the sound powered phone and the Navy style intercom. The sound powered satellite phone is very desirable aboard ship as it continues to function under all operating conditions and can be relied on during times of power outage.

A number of spaces are equipped with ordinary telephones which can be used to call other spaces within the ship or to call out from the ship. The ship's telephone system is also linked to the Inmarsat system. From any telephone on the ship one can direct dial any other telephone in the world.