[PLUG-TALK] Calling Satellite Telephone

[Rich Shepard]

   So far I've completely stymied Sprint (my business long distance telephone
provider), and Verizon Wireless is looking to see if they have an answer.
Perhaps some of you have called satellite telephones (especially on the
Iridium system) and can give me an idea of the cost.

   I know that I pay $1.50 per minute for air time on my satellite phone;
that's much less expensive than the land line for overseas calls to China
and Australia. But, I've no idea how much it would cost someone to call me
on my phone. The equivalent of the country code is 88 16, so from the US one
dials 011+8816+phone number (8 digits). This is routed to the uplink station
in Virginia, then bounced to the nearest Iridium satellite to the phone's
location.

   So, is it a toll charge to Virginia or an international charge depending
on the country where the phone is located?

   Please share your experiences with me.

Rich

-- 
Richard B. Shepard, Ph.D.               |  Integrity            Credibility
Applied Ecosystem Services, Inc.        |            Innovation
<http://www.appl-ecosys.com>     Voice: 503-667-4517      Fax: 503-667-8863