If your business requires you to travel places where communication can be dicey, an Iridium 9500 satellite phone—or it's brethren, the Iridium 9505 satellite phone—may fit your needs. Before you shell out the big bucks though, make sure an Iridium satellite phone—or multiple Iridium satellite phones—make sense for your application.

Satellite telephones, like Iridium, Inmarsat and Globalstar, provide service in extreme locations where other cell phones can't. Utilizing Iridium's inter-satellite linking and near-polar orbits, both the Iridium 9500 satellite phone and the Iridium 9505 satellite phone provide coverage virtually any place on the planet; Globalstar, which uses a lower-inclination satellite network can't provide coverage at the poles. Inmarsat, covers about 85% of the planet; another provider, Thuraya, covers about a third of the globe.

1. Don't buy an Iridium satellite telephone if your needs can be met more cheaply.

2. If you do need a satellite phone, do Globalstar or Inmarsat phones meet your needs, or would an Iridium satellite telephone work better?

3. If you only need it occasionally, it may make more sense to rent an Iridium satellite telephone.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Analyze your business satellite telephone needs

Look at your travel destinations and your communications needs. If you're often at the North Pole or in the Himalayas in desperate need of the instant communication that an Iridium satellite phone can provide, you'll need to decide which satellite phone has the best cost-benefit for your business. Consider whether Iridium satellite phone rentals make more sense or should you look for Iridium satellite phones for sale. It's possible that an internationally enabled cell phone work for your application.

I recommend: Once you've determined your telecommunications needs, websites like Telestial can get you started on figuring out how to meet your requirements.

Research geographic coverage, prices, and rental options

If you've found that GSM phones will provide all your business needs, pursue that route. If you've concluded that an Iridium satellite phone is the way to go, contact Iridium satellite phone providers for information on Iridium satellite phone rentals and sales.

I recommend: Satphonestore and Satellite Phone Source are good places to start your search.

Shop online for your preferred solution, from cell phones to Iridium satellite phones

Now that you know what you want--Globalstar, Inmarsat, Iridium satellite phone or GSM cell phone--and whether you want to buy or rent, it's time to get out the checkbook.

I recommend: Websites like Outfitter Satellite Phones and Adventure Cell offer a broad range of cell and satellite products and airtime plans.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Once you've narrowed your choices-for instance, between the Iridium satellite 9500 phone and the Globalstar GSP 1700 phone system--check online for reviews and comparisons from real-life users.