BlueCosmo Inmarsat IsatPhone 2.1 Satellite Phone Kit (SIM Included), unlocked - Global Coverage - Voice, SMS, GPS Tracking, Emergency SOS - Prepaid and Monthly Service Plan Options

We purchased two Inmarsat IsatPhone 2 satellite phones (along with a basic monthly subscription plan through BlueCosmo) so that I will be able to make contact with my family in case of emergency while traveling (which I do frequently for work). During emergencies cellular networks might go down due to power outages or damage to the physical infrastructure of the network, or be saturated by callers using the network to contact their loved ones.Not all plan details etc. are super-evident when researching satphones, so I will provide some additional information based on my experience so far.1) I learned that though only a very small number of satellite phone networks exist (with coverage in the Americas - only 3: Inmarsat, Iridium, and Globalstar), all calling plans are sold through a secondary vendor (in our case, BlueCosmo).2) We chose Inmarsat for a combination of reasons. Price was one factor (the phones & minimum monthly calling plans are cheaper than Iridium), plus near global coverage (Globalstar only provides coverage in the Americas). Apparently, service is absent at the poles - but I don't have any antarctic travel expeditions planned (yet).3) The biggest difference between Inmarsat & Iridium is that Inmarsat uses a small number of very high geostationary satellites. This means that you need to have 'line of sight' towards the equator to use your phone. I wondered if this would mean that at high latitudes we would need to be in a large open area to call, but in the northeast U.S. (at least) this was not the case. I was able to call easily from within a tree-enclosed driveway, This must mean the satellites are very high, and that the LOS required is thus at a fairly steep angle!4) After purchasing the handset (which is pre-packaged with a sim card), you need to select a pre-paid minutes or a monthly post-paid calling plan. We chose the latter - but the most basic plan, which is about $35/month. We decided on a monthly calling plan because we purchased the phones for emergency use and we do not know when emergency will strike. All pre-paid plans expire, and the costs are comparable. (For instance, the cost for a 6 month pre-paid calling plan with the minimum number of minutes is not too different from 6 x $35.)5) The phone itself is kind of fun to use. For those accustomed to the latest smartphone (but older than the age of 35) it may inspire nostalgia because of its physical similarity to a cell phone from the 1990s! Entering contacts, etc., is an adventure.5) What can I say - the phones work great. Call clarity is similar to a cell phone, and the phones can send & receive SMS and short (max 160 character) emails. I have used the phone to call land lines, U.S. cell numbers, and other Inmarsat phones.So far, they are serving their purpose. I feel more comfortable traveling know that I will always be able to reach my family in case of emergency & vice versa.

2/9/17This seems to be a good sat phone. As I mentioned in another review both Inmarsat and Iridium have their pros and cons. This phone and it's prepaid service seem more cost effective to have activated year round. $400.00 a year which is way cheaper than a cell phone bill. That's if the prepay plans don't change in the future. Setup was easy and straight forward, I think it was maybe a couple of hours before Bluecosmo had it activated with the prepaid SIM card that came with it. Also buying off of the Bluecosmo site is easy too, once everything is activated.The Inmarsat IsatPhone 2 is as described, it seems like it will hold up too normal use and wear and tear. It comes with all the extras you need as well. You may want order a backup battery just in case. Connecting to the satellite system itself was easy and takes a few seconds longer over the 9575 Extreme but not a deal breaker by any means. The first call I placed did take 3 attempts before it dialed out. The downside to the phone to me is the antenna which definitely has to be deployed to make a connection. It is worth noting that I did receive a signal in my house, like mentioned in the 9575 Extreme review. To me the biggest factor on which phone to pick is price point, as both the Isatphone 2 and the 9575 Extreme are solid products. There seems to be more accessories for the Iridium stuff though. For light usage I would stick with Isatphone 2 unless budget is a non issue.I did a lot of reading on both systems and ultimately ended up buying both and activating both. Since I have the Extreme too, that's the one I keep with me because of the convenient size but I would have no issue using either one. I have not had to use the them in an extreme situation yet so I can't speak to that but both seem good so far. Also don't let the SOS button be a determining factor on which one to buy, as both the Isatphone 2 and 9575 Extreme have the same feature and both are easy to set up with GEOS.I will update this review if anything changes, I thought some of this information may be useful to someone looking to buy a satphone.

My daughter (39 years old) couldn’t get it to work until I figured out that you needed to enter the country code when you dialed out (eg: US = 1).Once we had that figured out it was great!

I'm a professional nature photographer, and I'm often in places with no cell phone reception. I purchased this mainly for letting family know where I'm at each day while traveling off the grid, as well as emergency use. The reception exceeded my expectations, and even works very well within a dense forest (with trees about 3 stories tall). The ear speaker is nice and loud, and calls are clear with slight digital distortion. There is enough of a delay that you'll be conscious of it and have to be more patient than normal conversing with people.The phone is a bit large, but its much lighter than it looks, and it feels rock solid. It comes with every accessory needed, including ear piece, car and wall chargers, and a travel case. It uses a standard micro usb for charging. The whole thing fits nicely into my camera bag. Battery life is fantastic, but you need to remember to turn the phone off when stored.The price of the handset, battery life, and price of using the minutes was a great value compared to iridium. I'm using the prepaid card plan. Unfortunately, the 180 day, 100 unit card will now only be 90 days if activated after June 30 of 2016. That card was the best value by far. That being said, the prepaid card is still laughably cheaper than iridium. The minutes do roll over if you buy another prepaid card before expiration.I signed up for a GEOS search and rescue membership for $30 per year, and programmed the top emergency button to connect with them.BlueCosmo set up my sim card within 2 hours and I was set up and ready to go.