"What is the difference between
satellite phone and cellular phone?
"

                                                                 Satellite phone and Cellular                                                                  phones are wireless devices.                                                                  They almost look alike. But the                                                                  way they work is totally different.                                                                  Cellular phones working method is                                                                  cell based. That is why they are                                                                  called cellular phones. The whole                                                                  network area is divided into small                                                                  areas. And in each area an                                                                  antenna is installed. These are                                                                  also called towers. When a                                                                  cellular phone is moving, it keeps                                                                  entering from one cell to another.                                                                  When it crosses the border of one                                                                  cell, the phone sends a signal to                                                                  the MTSO (Mobile Telephone Switching Office). With the help of control channel the database of the MTSO relocates the phone in a new cell or area. The MTSO and Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) coordinate to handle cellular calls.

But in the contrary Satellite phones use Low Earth Orbiting (LEO) satellites. With the turning on of the satellite phone a signal goes up to the any number of satellites of a group with whom the phone is registered. When a person makes a call from the handset, a signal goes to the near by orbiting satellite. The satellite connects to the gateway or ground station. Then the gateway takes the call to the destination. The call can be directed to the landline, cellular phone or PSTN. Any of the landlines, cell phone or PSTN can also call a satellite phone. In the case of satellite phones the gateway takes care of calls not cells as in the case of cellular phones. If a satellite phone calls another satellite phone, the call reaches a ground station through a satellite. Then it goes up to the air to a satellite and then the call reaches the destination phone. So the gateway processes the switching of calls not the satellite.

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