Questions about satellite phones + satellite Internet

Fri Dec 6 21:54:08 UTC 2019

Hey All,

I'm new to the world of satellite phones + satellite Internet. I can't find
an informative guide that will help me figure out the best options.

Anyone know where I could find such information?

Based on my exhaustive search, it seems the best generally speaking are
Iridium and ViaSat, respectively. (For Iridium, that assumes one has line
of sight.) But would it be best to do both or get Iridium Go only and use
one's cell phone via a satellite link or have a dedicated satellite phone?
More important, how can one assess whether one's geographic location is
ideally suited for one service vis-a-vis the other?

For perspective, I live on the Silicon Valley Coastside (i.e., Half Moon
Bay). Comcast and AT&T rely on PG&E's transmission cables for Internet
access. As such, whenever a power shutdown occurs, many of us on the
Coastside are left without cable or Internet access. I shudder to think
what would happen during the Big One. Even when there are no power
shutoffs, however, Comcast appears to throttle our community on a regular
basis.

As such, I'm thinking about getting a combo of satellite phone
and/or satellite Internet both to improve my Internet service and to
maintain communication during an anthropogenic or natural disaster.

Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Yosem
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