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AT&T and mobile satellite (MSS) operator Terrestar Networks have unveiled the first fruits of a project to create next generation satellite/terrestrial devices, which could finally bring cellphone economics to MSS.
A project was launched in March - between satellite operators Terrestar and SkyTerra plus chipmakers Infineon and Qualcomm - to create dual-mode handsets that would approach the cost level and roaming capability of a cellular phone. This week, AT&T - which is to resell Terrestar's satellite services in remote areas - announced the Genus, a smartphone that uses the MSS network only when cellular coverage is unavailable. This offers connections when the terrestrial network is unavailable or disrupted, but does not impose the higher satellite charges on users who can get onto a cellular system.
Previously, MSS subscribers had to have a separate device - usually heavy and expensive - and a separate phone number for the satellite network, but the Genus supports a single number and looks pretty much like a 3G handset, though the price tag is still fairly hefty, at between $800 and $900 (though far less than the $3,000 or so of first generation satphones). It is not clear whether AT&T will subsidize the device at all.
Read more about satellite phone prices on www.satellite-phone-rentals.com
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