What Does ‘Flagfall’ Mean on my Satellite Phone Airtime Contract?

Hi. My name is John Whitley and I’m the founder of RentASatPhone.com.au,  Australia’s number one satellite communications Rental store.

In this article I want to answer one of the most common questions I get from anyone looking into satellite phones in Australia, “What does ‘flagfall’ mean on my satellite phone airtime contract?”

At the time of writing, the two networks available in Australia are Thuraya and Iridium.

Thuraya can only be purchased through an Optus authorised satellite phone dealer. When you look at their airtime plans you will find the term ‘flagfall’.

The Iridium network can be purchased from a number or dealers including Telstra, Pivotel, SatellitePhoneSales.com.au and Iridiumdirect.com.au, to name just a few.

With all these dealers, dig a little deeper into their airtime contracts and you’ll find costings for flagfall.

‘Flagfall’ is the industry term for the connection fee charged for making a call from your satellite phone to anyone: landline, mobile or even another satellite phone. These vary from 40c to 60c per call.

“That’s not much,” I hear you say and you’re right. It’s not much for one call. But depending on how often you use your satellite phone, this can really add up.

What happens is you think you are paying one price for each 30secs of your call, but the truth is you will pay a higher charge for the first 30secs because of the flagfall.

My advice regarding this? Buyer beware.

Look for a satellite dealership (such as RentASatPhone.com.au) that doesn’t charge a flagfall. That way you know what you’re in for and you won’t be getting bills that are higher than you expected.

The next question I often get is, “What if the connection breaks and I have to redial, do I get charged the flagfall again?” The answer is ‘yes’.

To summarise, a flagfall is a connection fee, so every time you connect you will be charged that fee.

Does every satellite provider and dealer charge a flagfall?

The answer is ‘no’. Most do but you tend to find the online stores do not. This may be down to lower overheads or a different corporate mentality. Make sure you shop around.

I trust you found this information useful. If you’d like to know anything more about satellite phones and how to save money on yours, please contact us.

We’ll be happy to help you.

See our website for more free advice and to learn all you need to know about satellite phones.

Visit www.RentASatPhone.com.au or call us on 1300 851 591.

How Do I Know I’ve Got The Best and Most Transparent Satellite Phone Airtime Contract?

Hi. My name is John Whitley and I’m the founder of RentASatPhone.com.au,  Australia’s number one satellite communications Rental store.

In this article I want to answer one of the most common questions I get from anyone looking into satellite phones in Australia, “How do I know I’ve got the best and most transparent satellite phone airtime contract?”

It’s no wonder you, the consumer, can get confused.

With so many airtime contracts available through the five or six satellite phone airtime providers it’s a complete maze out there when it comes to traffic agreements and satellite phone airtime agreements.

And that’s just the way the big guns like it.

So they offer you this plan or that plan, which has this amount per month, oh but don’t forget you get five minutes or ten minutes free airtime with this plan, oh but then you have to pay a flagfall… the list of baffling options goes on and on.

With most satellite phone airtime contracts requiring you to sign up for 24 months, getting the wrong plan can be a very costly mistake to make.

You will also find it difficult to get all the answers you need to make an informed choice. That’s because they either don’t want you to know or they simply don’t understand it themselves. So don’t be surprised when you get only half the answers you were expecting backed by a very expensive invoice each month.

And don’t forget: that’s going be the same for another 23 months.

It took RentASatPhone.com.au, Australia’s number one satellite communications Rental store, to break the mould of the more commonly known names in satellite airtime.

So much so that we have the simplest and easiest to understand airtime contracts in the business.

It starts with a monthly access fee and a 30sec billing time. That’s it.

Yes, I know. You’re shocked! There’s no flagfall of 60c every time you make a call, no incoming call costs - and no waffle.

Just a simple, transparent satellite phone airtime plan that you can easily understand and, more importantly, one that’s completely flexible.

As your needs and requirements change we will grow with you and can simply change your plan whenever you need to.

And with only a 12 month rather than 24 month contract it means that if your circumstances change there’s no huge get-out fee.

So benefit from the most transparent contracts by going to www.RentASatPhone.com.au.

I trust you found this information useful. If you’d like to know anything more about satellite phones and how to find the best plan for you, please contact us.

We’ll be happy to help you.

See our website for more free advice and to learn all you need to know about satellite phones.

Visit www.RentASatPhone.com.au or call us on 1300 851 591.

What Is The Best Global Satellite Phone?

Hi. My name is John Whitley and I’m the founder of RentASatPhone.com.au,  Australia’s number one satellite communications Rental store.

In this article I want to answer one of the most common questions I get from anyone looking into satellite phones in Australia, “What is the best global satellite phone?”

There are two networks with true global operation.

The first is Inmarsat. Inmarsat is the original military satellite network still used by the USA today. It has the highest orbital satellites and an unlimited budget.

The result is an outstanding network that has brought us very inexpensive data transfer speeds and satellite phone units. These units are called BGANs which is short for Broadband Global Area Network.

The most common unit sold in Australia is an Explorer 300. Weighing in at around 1kg it is simply a satellite broadband modem. It plugs into your computer via an Ethernet cable and in seconds you have internet access anywhere on the planet at speeds of up to 384kbps.

Now, this comes with a caveat. Satellite world is not the same as day-to-day communications. I made the comment earlier that this is an inexpensive solution to data transfer, but coming in at around A$4,000 it’s not everyone’s cup of tea.

But it would be easy to forget that only a couple of years ago it would cost you around A$78,000 for us to provide you with a solution that was 24kg and had speeds of only 64 kbps.

As you go up the BGAN range of products you can access more functions such as multiple telephone points, USB rather than Ethernet cables and even faster speeds.

The more commonly used global satellite phone network, however, is Iridium. This worldwide network has carved out a niche market in supplying unmatched global communications.

It simply comes down to this: if you are looking for a network that will connect you anytime anywhere on the planet, be it in the middle of the ocean or at the top of Mount Everest, or as we are more familiar with in Australia, the Outback - Iridium is the answer.

Its latest handset is a credit to Motorola, the designers and manufactures of the new Motorola Iridium 9555. A third smaller that’s its predecessor and with a built-in aerial makes this the most useable non-brick looking satellite phone available. All this while still recognizing that it has a job to do.

Satellite phones are generally used in out-of-the-way places and, unlike normal mobile phones, are subject to harsh conditions and use.

Iridium have shown us over the last seven to eight years that they are up to the task.

To find out more information about the new Iridium 9555 unit go to www.rentasatphone.com.au

I trust you found this information useful. If you’d like to know anything more about satellite phones or BGAN and the internet, please contact us.

We’ll be happy to help you.

See our website for more free advice and to learn all you need to know about satellite phones.

Visit www.RentASatPhone.com.au or call us on 1300 851 591.

How Can I Receive an SMS or Text Message to my Satellite Phone Without it Costing Anyone?

Hi. My name is John Whitley and I’m the founder of RentASatPhone.com.au,  Australia’s number one satellite communications Rental store.

In this article I want to answer one of the most common questions I get from anyone looking into satellite phones in Australia, “How can I receive an SMS or text message to my satellite phone without it costing anyone”?

Both of the current networks within Australia, Thuraya and Iridium, allow you to receive and send SMS from any of their satellite phones.

In our experience, however, it’s common for SMS, or text messages as they are sometimes known, to get lost in space. If the SMS you’re sending is urgent or you’re relying on it to get through then it’s imperative that you request confirmation from the recipient that they have received it.

Also, if your satellite phone wasn’t on when you were sent an SMS, you may not always receive it.

So, a tip if you are sending or receiving an SMS on a satellite phone: ask for confirmation that yours was received and send confirmation letting them know you got theirs.

Another point to keep in mind is that each SMS or text from a satellite phone can vary in cost from $1.00 to $2.00 so please shop around if that is an important part of your usage.

Also check if it costs for you to receive an SMS or text, you’ll be surprised by the answers from each dealer or network.

There is a way for you to receive SMS or text messages without it costing you or the person who is sending the message from both current satellite phone networks within Australia.

To give you the greatest opportunity to find the deal that’s best for you, we’ve found three online satellite phone stores that offer a free SMS or text messaging service to any satellite phone or network - free of charge. Yes, free.

This means rather than your office or home calling you on your satellite phone and you having to pay huge costs from your home or office plan your callers can simply go to a website, put in your satellite phone number and send you a message - completely free.

Just go to these websites and look for the SMS button in their main menu bar. I have asked their permission and they are more than happy for you to utilise their services, whether you purchased from them or not:

• www.satellitephonesales.com.au
• www.rentasatphone.com.au
• www.iridiumdirect.com.au

I trust you found this information useful. If you’d like to know anything more about satellite phones and internet equipment, please contact us.

We’ll be happy to help you.

See our website for more free advice and to learn all you need to know about satellite phones.

Visit www.RentASatPhone.com.au or call us on 1300 851 591.

How Can I Get the Cheapest Satellite Phone Bills?

Hi. My name is John Whitley and I’m the founder of RentASatPhone.com.au,  Australia’s number one online rental satellite communications store.

In this article I want to answer one of the most common questions I get from anyone looking into satellite phones in Australia, “How can I get the cheapest satellite phone bills?”

At the time of writing, the two networks available in Australia are Thuraya and Iridium. You cannot purchase a Thuraya handset with a prepaid SIM card within Australia except through Optus. This means if you want to use the Thuraya network you need to go to an Optus dealer such as RenASatPhone.com.au. Our website explains the satellite phone plans available to you.

When it comes to price, with no competition on the Thuraya network, you’ll pay the price dictated by Optus. The only way to reduce your call charges using this network is to use SMS texting.

With the Iridium network there are a number of competitors trying to get your business so the plans are more competitive.

SOME WAYS TO REDUCE YOUR SATELLITE PHONE BILL:

• Go to a dealer that doesn’t charge a flagfall - the charge, ranging from 40 to 60 cents, every time you make a connection.
• Go to a dealer that doesn’t charge you for incoming calls to your satellite phone. Many do.
• Go to a dealer that offers you free incoming text and SMS.
• Go to a dealer that has a 12-month not a 24-month airtime plan. If your circumstances change you won’t be left with an expensive bill for time remaining on the contract.
• And lastly, go to a dealer who can assist you, who can adapt your airtime plan to suit your personal needs and who will change with you as your circumstances change.

At RentASatPhone.com.au we don’t charge a flagfall - ever. We don’t charge you for incoming calls, we offer free SMS and texting to your satellite phone and our contracts start at 12 months duration.

Lastly, we understand that your circumstances can change. With just one phone call we can assist you find the right solution to meet those changes.

I trust you found this information useful. If you’d like to know anything more about satellite phones and how we can help you find the right solution for your individual requirements, please contact us.

We’ll be happy to help you.

See our website for more free advice and to learn all you need to know about satellite phones.

Visit www.RentASatPhone.com.au or call us on 1300 851 591.