The Best Satellite Phones of 2024 | GearJunkie Tested

While satellite text messengers have become popular tools for backcountry communications, the best satellite phones still have a place in our expedition tool kits. And with subscription plans becoming downright affordable — with some even offering a free phone — why text when you can make a voice call?

We’ve been using satellite phones since before, and now after, they’ve been cool — and we’ve watched the technology advance in that time. Along the way, we’ve traveled to some pretty deep places on this planet and stress-tested the market of sat phones to manage our needs for expedition communications. From the do-it-all Iridium GO! to the budget-friendly Inmarsat IsatPhone 2, there’s something here for any explorer.

We’ve been to the summit of Denali (multiple times now), and our explorers have cut through the static to bring together this list of the top satellite phones (and one worthy messenger) on the market today. All of these handhelds will get your call out when it matters most, and while the humble sat phone may seem dormant for now, there are big things on the horizon. Rest assured, we’ll be disappearing into the bush with those, too, to measure their worth.

If satellite phones are new to you, consider digging into our in-depth Buyer’s Guide and Price & Value sections after our selections. And to measure each phone against the other, our Comparison Chart should be able to make the connection. Otherwise, dial in and check out the best sat phones we’ve used to date.

Editor’s Note: We updated our Satellite Phone guide on October 16, 2024, to add our new top pick, the Iridium GO!, as well as additional testing feedback from a recent first ascent in the Ruth Gorge.

The Iridium GO! ($855) is as much a satellite phone as it is a mobile hotspot, with capabilities for voice, email, SMS-text messaging, GPS tracking, and even an integrated SOS button. With all this added functionality — and the leading Iridium network — this is undoubtedly the best satellite phone for most adventurers today.

Most recently, alpine guide Eli Spitulnik took the GO! along this spring as he guided a Denali expedition to ascend the West Buttress. This month-long endeavor required seeking daily weather reports and scheduling voice time for climbers to check up on their families back home. Like every other satellite phone on the market, voice call quality ranges from pretty dang good to a bit rough, but that’s the going rate. Spitulnik and his co-guides submitted weekly audio updates on their expedition with ~85% clarity.

While the inReach Mini 2 is Eli’s go-to communicator for expeditions in the Alaska Range, the 160-character limit is significantly limiting compared to the 1,000-character missives we could fire off with the GO!, which made it well worth the added weight/bulk. Internet access, too, places the GO! several rungs higher, but it’s important to know you’re limited to satellite-ready apps. Accurate weather updates are essential on Denali, and the GO! provided them with ease.

The 5″ x 3″ brick is built-tough, too, and is IP65 water-resistant — better than the unrated 9555. The device is a little heavier than most sat phones at 11 ounces, but for the capability, we’ll make do. We especially appreciated the antenna that folds down into the body of the device, making this a toss-in-the-bag piece of kit we didn’t worry about babying.

There is a downside to the GO, and that’s the need for a smartphone to utilize all of the functionalities. Like most satellite messengers these days, the GO uses your phone as a user-friendly keyboard and screen for the device, meaning if your phone goes down, so does most of the satellite functionality. The standby time of the GO’s battery is also about half of what the Iridium 9555 will manage, meaning you’ll need to charge it up more frequently.

Even still, the trade-off for the functionality is well worth it, in our opinion. The GO! can connect to up to five different devices at the same time, and while it’s more expensive than most satellite messengers, it’s cheaper than almost all other satellite phones. If you need reliable updates deep in the backcountry (as well as a voice call every now and again), this is the device to do it with.

The Inmarsat IsatPhone 2 ($899) consistently rates as the best value in satellite voice communications, in our opinion. Third-party retailers regularly offer free phones with the purchase of a yearly contract, and our free phone — which has not left our side in a year — came with 70 minutes of monthly talk time for just $60.

The first obvious difference between this and the Iridium 9555 is the satellite network: Inmarsat. With history all the way back to 1976, the network provider currently operates 15 geostationary satellites at 22,236 miles above the Earth’s surface, with coverage between latitudes of -82° to 82°.

This means that polar regions don’t currently have any reception and that connection times can be a bit extended due to the extreme height of the birds. Even still, audio quality is high, and once you’re connected to a satellite, it’s tough to lose the call.

As a technical tool, the IsatPhone 2 includes several useful features. The dedicated SOS button connects to the GEOS dispatch center in Texas for one-touch emergency notifications.

Capable of sending SMS texts and brief email messages, the battery provides an unmatched 8 hours of talk time and 160 hours on standby. Although it’s not the most compact phone available, it redeems itself with weather-resistant housing, a large color display, tactile buttons, and intuitive menu navigation.

When used throughout most of North, Central, and South America, the IsatPhone 2 almost always found a satellite. The geosynchronous satellites, which remain stationary overhead, virtually eliminate the chance of dropped calls. But getting a connection isn’t always a given. In deep mountain valleys of the Himalayas and the Peruvian Andes, the IsatPhone 2 sometimes struggled to connect. Relocating to higher ground usually solved the issue.

If we have one complaint, it’s that the sound quality and slight delay are a bit bothersome. Then again, it’s impressive for a signal bounced off a tiny satellite 32,000 miles away. When it comes to getting into a quality satellite phone without busting the bank on the entire expedition, the IsatPhone 2 is our choice.

Owners of Garmin inReach Mini and Bivystick text-messengers know the Iridium name well. As longtime Iridium users, we’ve sent and received thousands of messages over the network from four continents. Whether in the Amazon Basin or Iceland’s fjords, with enough time, we always get a signal on the Iridium 9555 ($1,150).

Although it’s often one of the most expensive options for voice calls, the 9555 is still affordable when you look at the whole package of service plans. An Iridium 10 Monthly Plan nets you 10 minutes of voice a month for $65, but the value swings heavily toward the user when you take into account that incoming calls and text messages are free. That’s not cheap, but that’s half the cost of what it was just a few years ago.

The main reason to pay the premium for Iridium, outside of the extensive coverage, is the reception quality. We’ve used an Iridium 9555 in Nepal to call a U.S.-based doctor to help diagnose and treat a badly infected foot, as well as coordinate glacier flights out of the Ruth Gorge in the Alaska Range. The Iridium LEO satellites, positioned only 1,200 miles above, provide crystal-clear communications across the entire globe.

The Iridium 9555 is convenient because of its robust build and compact size, even at the sacrifice of battery life. With just 4 hours of talk time, a second battery is a must. We also like having the programmable SOS button linked to the GEOS dispatch center for easy emergency notifications. Above all, we appreciate the sound quality the most. During the lengthy discussions with our mechanic in Chile, we heard his every word clearly.

The downside of LEO satellite reception is most noticeable in valleys and canyons where the line of sight to satellites overhead is compromised. Dropped calls aren’t uncommon, as satellites streak across the sky and sometimes travel out of reach.

All the same, Iridium makes a superb phone backed by an impressive network. You won’t get the data-heavy service of the Iridium GO!, but we think the trade-off is in a slightly better antenna and reception. If you’re after a satellite phone that simply works everywhere, and is backed by years of stellar support, the 9555 is our top suggestion today.

Best known as the network behind the ubiquitous SPOT Messenger, Globalstar is a relative newcomer to voice communications. The Globalstar GSP-1700 ($499), the brand’s first and only phone, is a fine product with 4 hours of talk time, fast data speeds for quick transmission of texts and coordinates, and voice quality on par with (if not better than) Iridium.

As an added convenience, Globalstar phones use a U.S.-based phone number without an additional fee, which means anyone calling you won’t pay extra for talking to a satellite phone number.

Good deals on the GSP-1700 come and go, and we should note that the brand has officially ceased production of this phone, so any you buy will be old stock (or a refurbished unit). Still, Globalstar continues to offer service plans for the GSP-1700, so it can be an excellent deal if you can get your hands on one. Monthly service plans start at $100 and come with 150 minutes of voice, with each additional minute being 99 cents.

Prospective buyers of the GSP-1700 must carefully evaluate the coverage map to ensure they won’t slip outside the network. For most users in North America, getting a solid signal won’t be an issue. If you plan to venture into Asia, Africa, or popular destinations in Central and South America, however, you’re better off with Iridium or Inmarsat.

While they’re still available, the GSP-1700 may be the cheapest way to get into a true satellite phone out there. Coverage isn’t as global as some of the other satellite voice providers, but if your adventures are more so looking to explore the least-visited corners of North America, this sat phone has the chutzpah to make it happen.

Yeah — not a true satellite phone, but there’s a good reason we opted to include the Garmin inReach Messenger ($300) in our lineup of satellite devices: Pure versatility. With a far more modern texting interface and extended battery life, many explorers today are opting to leave the sat phone behind and go with a robust messenger instead. Stacked side-by-side, the trade-offs can be well worth giving up the ability to make voice calls.

For one, texting can be very set and forget, and with a device like the Messenger you can hold conversations over hours at your own leisure — even while moving. This can be a boon for those who are on a tight timeline or just want to check in throughout the day instead of an evening chat. Granted, you won’t be able to trade information as quickly as you would on the phone, but with a good connection, it can still be quite quick.

The inReach Messenger also uses the same Iridium network that our favorite sat phone does, and benefits from all of the same robust service — just without the extra data load of moving audio around. And while the texting functionality of most sat phones is stuck in the 90s, the modern and slick Messenger app that tethers your inReach device to your phone makes texting seamless.

Cutting out the speakers and extra tech for audio also frees up a good amount of space for battery, and the Messenger absolutely trounces even the best satellite phones when it comes to longevity. If you were to send a message every 10 minutes, you could do so for 28 days straight with a full sky view. In standby mode, that’s an entire year, and that’s not even to mention the fact that you can reverse charge your devices from the Messenger if you need to.

If the need for audio is primary for you (and we’re not saying everyone should do without — there are definite expeditions we wouldn’t leave without a sat phone on), then sticking with the real deal like the Iridium GO! or 9555 is a safe bet. But if you’re after a device that can trade messages quickly, prompt an SOS call, deliver weather forecasts, and do it all with extra gas in the tank, the inReach Messenger should certainly be considered.

Some winters ago, while traversing Chile’s Atacama desert, our Toyota Hilux inexplicably died, leaving us stranded on a mountain at 17,000 feet. After a volley of sat-phone calls to friends and mechanics in three countries, we diagnosed the problem as an antitheft system gone haywire.

One final call to Chile’s national police put our extraction in motion with no delay or drama. We could have achieved the same result with our satellite communication device, but voice calls undoubtedly expedited the resolution.

Breakdowns in the Andes aside, you don’t have to travel far to justify a satellite phone. Cellular service in the backcountry of North America is terrible. Drive an hour from Denver, and you might as well be in Mongolia.

We measured these phones against one another in terms of connection speed, audio quality, and the number of times we had calls drop — not something any of these phones were immune from. As handheld electronics, we also compared more commonplace specs such as battery life (an important feature when aiming to call from the top of North America), display legibility in harsh or dark conditions, and durability when faced with whipping rain or snow.

To date, we have taken satellite phones to the summit of Denali at least three times, as well as toted them along on alpine-style first ascents in the Alaska Range, and along on expeditions into the high deserts of South America. All of these places are exceptionally remote, and we sought out different terrain (signal suffers in glacial gorges vs. broad plains) to test their relative signal reception.

Each of these devices has been used hard and put away wet, and we’re confident in each of their abilities to get out a call when you need it most. To test relative waterproofing, we hit these phones with the spray bottle to ensure they could withstand the moisture.

In a similar way, we also subjected these phones to extreme temperatures — sometimes down to -20 F — to test their ability to shrug off the cold. Finally, the relative time to recharge was also taken into account in our testing.

While satellite phone technology hasn’t evolved much previously, new technology just this year is rapidly advancing, and we’re likely on the brink of true satellite phone coverage integrated into your regular phone. We’ll be testing the newest and greatest, and continue to update our list as new devices become available.

The GearJunkie team plays host to a number of far-flung adventurers who regularly leave cell service in the dust, and while satellite messengers get all the attention these days, there’s undeniable utility in being able to hash out a conversation when you are truly deep in an expedition.

No backyard testing would suffice in testing these sat phones, and we put in the effort to get out there to challenge them. Most recently, tester and mountain guide Eli Spitulnik used these devices to keep in contact while he climbed a first ascent on Mt. Bradley in the Alaska Range, as well as a follow-up ascent of Denali where he guided a team of climbers on the West Buttress.

Being off the grid for 4 weeks at a time requires dialed-in communications, and Eli used these sat phones for everything from getting in-depth weather to hailing the team’s glacier pilot.

Although only three providers dominate the satellite phone market, it’s difficult to know which to choose. Iridium, Globalstar, and Inmarsat all make great products backed by billion-dollar satellite networks. The best option for you hinges on one variable: where you plan to put it to use.

The first step in selecting a provider is comparing coverage maps. Iridium’s 66 low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites offer connectivity to 100% of the globe. Our experience has proven this to be one of the most reliable satellite voice networks out there, and it’s only being improved with time.

Inmarsat’s 15 satellites rotate in geostationary orbit over the equator at a staggering height of 22,236 miles. At such a lofty position, they cover 90% of the planet only missing sight of the poles. By 2026, the provider plans on having launched three additional new-generation Inmarsat I-8 satellites, which will provide additional coverage and future-proof the service into the 2040s.

Globalstar’s constellation of 48 LEO satellites, once chided for spotty coverage, continues to improve. Nonetheless, vast swaths of the world remain outside Globalstar’s reach, making it a non-starter for some users. Still, if your adventures mainly traverse the coverage zones, subscription plans can be affordable.

As much as we would love to pick one phone and network as the ultimate winner for every situation, it’s simply not in the cards. Where and when you attempt to make a call has a direct impact on the ability to connect to satellites.

While camped in Alaska, we have been able to place a call in the morning with a Globalstar phone, but not in the evening. The Inmarsat phone failed to get a signal at all until we relocated to the next valley over. At a camp near Tibet, the Iridium phone was useless, but the Inmarsat phone connected in seconds.

Every phone had moments when it just could not make the link. A shift in time and place is the only remedy.

During the 5 years we’ve spent compiling these impressions worldwide, each destination required strict attention to satellite phone regulations. Many countries require expensive permits or ban satellite phones outright. Failure to obtain the necessary permissions can result in confiscated phones or stiff fines.

And it gets worse. In a handful of countries (India, North Korea, Libya, etc.) where satellite phones are illegal, unwitting travelers with phones in their luggage are regularly tossed in jail. Know before you go — you’ll be glad you did.

Before you chuck your inReach, SPOT, or Bivystick satellite messengers, evaluate the features you currently use and like. Satellite phones are great, but most don’t offer tracking features, GPS navigational aids, or detailed maps. In that regard, a satellite messenger might be your best bet.

As the cost of satellite phones and services continues to drop, one thing remains constant. When you’re in a jam far from home, hearing a friendly voice on the other end of a phone is priceless. Also, consider if your communication needs require the use of a satellite at all. For short-range chats between camps on Denali, we find that a powerful walkie-talkie makes it happen.

Satellite phones aren’t cheap pieces of technology, and while bounding strides of advancement have been made since their invention, prices still remain relatively high for the privilege of total off-grid voice communications. Still, there exists a range of satellite phones and, with it, a range of features you’ll have access to.

More budget-minded phones like the Globalstar GSP-1700 won’t provide the widest coverage, and there are certainly places on the planet where you won’t be able to get a call on the Globalstar network. But at a sub $500 price tag and with some of the cheaper service plans available, it can be an excellent way to get into a sat phone — if it covers where you’ll be going.

It’s also important to note that almost every text-only satellite messenger is $400 or less, with subscription plans also being more affordable. Consider if having access to voice calls is worth the extra dough you’ll drop for the privilege. If not, we favor the Garmin inReach Messenger ($300) over just about every other messenger out there.

Bumping up to the ~$800 satellite phones is going to be all about the network, and in our opinion, Iridium reigns here. With global coverage, we’ve had the best success at getting a call out on the Iridium GO! ($855) than any other phone. When you factor in that it also does SMS texting, email, and internet access and can connect to five phones, the value is outsized.

A mid-tier satellite phone like the Inmarsat IsatPhone 2 ($899) also makes a compelling case for itself, and while there are some areas it lacks, it does offer a good amount to make up for it. The biggest difference between this and the premium sat phones out there is going to be the network itself. The Inmarsat satellite network is still robust, but being geostationary and limited in satellites there is some delay in getting a signal.

The best satellite phones, which cost upward of $1,000, will add more accessory options to the handheld, such as remote antennas, larger battery packs, and headsets. The Iridium 9555 ($1,150) benefits from all of this, and the ability to stick an antenna outside of your basecamp tent for extended stays does seem to help reception.

The Iridium 9575 ($1,450) does everything the 9555 does, just with a military-grade durability rating for dust and water entry. We haven’t tested this phone yet, but the functionality should be exactly the same. In our minds, this is a steep price for a satellite phone, but if you want the absolute best voice-only sat phone out, this is it.

In this day and age, there is still a definite need for satellite phones, and it only gets greater the further you are from civilization. While satellite messengers work well for recreational use on weekend or even week-long trips, expeditions require a higher level of communication ability to be able to pull off, and when shuttling around information is essential, you need a device that can move a lot at once.

Being able to talk means that you not only get information across faster, but with less confusion and the ability to quickly ask for clarification. This can be the difference between getting the full weather forecast for the rest of the week, and getting the abbreviated synopsis in whatever will fit into 180 characters.

Finally, the feeling of being able to hear a loved one’s voice is also a large draw on extended trips, and can be worth it all on its own.

When looking for a satellite phone, consider first where you’re going to be using it, as this is the most important aspect of your sat phone, and if there’s no coverage, you’ll be carrying around a useless brick. Iridium is the broadest satellite phone service offered currently, and is a safe bet if your adventures will take you around the world.

If you’ll be heading abroad but don’t have the appetite to be a polar explorer, an Inmarsat device can save you a good bit of money, and still provide a high-quality audio connection. Also, consider Thuraya if you only travel to Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia.

Finally, take a look at the nitty gritty specifications for the phone you’re looking to purchase.

Satellite phones are illegal in several countries that believe they could be used by militant groups or to transmit sensitive information gathered through espionage. This includes China, Pakistan, Cuba, Russia, Chad, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Libya, areas of Nigeria, and India. Specific laws and regulations vary (for example, you can obtain a permit to use a sat phone in India and Cuba, but will be arrested, no questions asked, in Libya or Chad).

To be safe, consult the embassy of the region you are looking to travel to with a satellite phone before doing so to ensure you aren’t absentmindedly breaking any laws (or strongly held traditions).

Like any other wireless device, your reception is only as good as your connection, and with satellite phones being a direct connection device, signal loss can occur as the satellite you’re connected to moves through its orbit.

This can be combated in a number of ways. For one, ensure that you have as wide of a horizon as possible, with a clear view of the sky. Angle your antenna so that it points toward the sky, or if your phone hosts as an eCompass function like Inmarsat devices do, use it to orient yourself toward the satellite.

Iridium sattelites are constantly orbiting and are linked, so service may wane for a few seconds, but will typically recover. Inmarsat satellites, on the other hand, are geosynchrous, meaning that they are a bit tougher to connect to, but once connected, tough to loose signal.

Satellite phones have some impressive reach, not only in where you can call from but also in how far your signal needs to travel to make that happen. The low earth satellites in the Iridium constellation orbit at a little less than 500 miles above the planet, while the Globalstar birds are at a little less than 900. The geosynchronous satellites of the Inmarsat system, however, are a staggering 22,000 miles, which is quite a long way for your signal to travel — twice!

Failure isn’t an option when it comes to choosing a satellite messenger. When you absolutely need to get the word out, here are the best sat messaging devices in 2024.

A solid set of walkie-talkies can be essential for good backcountry comms, and we’ve tested the spread to nail down the best for your next adventure.