Watch this space
New Zealand Listener|April 22 - 28 2023
Cyclone Gabrielle exposed telco vulnerabilities but now a satellite-to-mobile service is on the horizon.
Peter Griffin
Watch this space

A round 15 years ago, I was handed a satellite phone and told I could call anyone, anywhere in the world.

I was standing on an isolated farm in North Auckland with an executive from the satellite company Inmarsat. The chunky phone in my hand had a thick, cigar-shaped antenna connected to it. I ended up calling my mother, who was at home just 50km away.

At the time, making a phone call via satellite cost $15 a minute, so I cut the call short. Sat phones have long been the device of choice for those who spend their time well beyond the reach of mobile networks - oil-rig workers, deep-sea sailors, search-andrescue specialists.

But early this month, two of our mobile network providers, One (formerly Vodafone) and 2degrees, said they would start trialling two-way, satellite-to-mobile phone services. It means that from late next year, you might be able to send a text message or make a phone call from literally anywhere in New Zealand, including our vast ocean territory, using the plain old smartphone you already own.

This story is from the April 22 - 28 2023 edition of New Zealand Listener.

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This story is from the April 22 - 28 2023 edition of New Zealand Listener.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

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