Phone Rental > FAQ

Yes, we charge 5 minutes per day as minimum usage for all our satellite phone models. These minutes are pooled. These minutes are charged at the same published rate.  Example: if you rent a satellite for 6 days, we charge 30 minutes minimum usage (5 minutes x 6 days).  These 30 minutes can be used for instance, 15 minutes on day 1, and 15 minutes on day 5, you don't have to use a minimum of 5 a day, but 30 for the whole rental period. If you don't use them, you still get charged on your invoice for them. If in this example you use more than 30 minutes, the extra minutes will be charged at the same rate.

The 2 stage dialing works by using an automated system from Iridium to call the satellite phone, instead of dialing directly to it.  The advantage is that the 2 stage dialing has fixed cost for you (check our rates) because you pay for those calls. To use the system, you call a number in Arizona, the automated system is going to ask for the number you are trying to reach, you dial the satellite number there, and you get connected: the caller pays only a call to AZ, the satellite phone rental pays the fixed incoming call rate.  If the caller were to dial directly to the sat (dialing 0118816.......) then the caller would be charged whatever their phone company charges to call a satellite phone...and that can be quite expensive! we've heard of some cellphone companies charging over $5 a minute to call a satellite phone, so do your research and find out how much your company would charge you to call our satellite phone rental numbers (tell them is an international call, country code 8816) and then decide which way is better to call your satellite phone rental. 

To call any number in the US, you need to dial 001 area code and number.  For instance, to call our office (619-226-6086) you'd dial from the satellite phone: 0016192266086 and "send".

No, calls to other sat systems such as Thuraya are charge a much higher rate, over $15 per minute! please see rates on the information page of the satellite phones!

Yes, the minimum rental is 1 week. You can rent for shorter periods of time, but you will be billed for 1 week.