| Wireless Transfer Rates and Specs (approximate) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Source | Transfer rate kilobits per sec |
Transfer Cost per minute |
Billing increment |
Connection time | Equipment cost |
Globalstar |
9.6 |
$0.25 home region $1.39 when roaming |
15s / 30s data 60s voice |
3 s |
$600 |
Irridium |
2.4 |
$1.49 world wide |
20 s |
20 s |
$900 |
Mini-M |
2.4 |
$1.85 near world wide |
30s |
40 s |
$3500 to $5500 |
HF-SSB |
1.0 |
Free or modest |
— |
— |
$2000 |
Cell phone |
14.2 to 80 |
Free or variable |
— |
— |
$100-$300 |
BGAN* |
144 to 492 |
$7/MByte |
50kB |
always on |
$2500-$5000 |
1 kilobyte (kB) = 8 kilobits (kb),
1 megabyte (MB) = 1024 kilobytes, kbps = kilobits per second
B=byte, b=bit, 1 bit = 1 digit (0 or 1),
1 byte = 8 bits, "baud" is more complex, but about = kbps
* Not marine stabilized till about mid 2007 (afterwich it may become the standard solution for global, offshore connections)