Once again, the difference between the two satellite phone systems was Iridium's distinctly poor audio quality. The audio quality scale was set up so that any audio quality score of 2 or lower would be considered below the minimum needed for any mission critical application.
The audio quality of the Iridium satellite phone could be considered above mission critical for only 67% of the total completed calls compared to 100% for the Globalstar satellite phone for all calls completed in the urban environment. Iridium scored above mission critical for 85% of completed calls compared to 100% for Globalstar in the rural environment.
Call drops was the other main factor. There were similar percentages of call drops noted. A rate of 64.5% in urban areas and 37.0% in rural areas for Globalstar satellite phone compared to 70.4% in urban areas and 40.7% in rural areas for Iridium satellite phones.
Overall, it was determined that signal blockage, no matter which system, is signal blockage. If there was sufficient clear sky, both systems would be operable and the main differentiator was audio quality. The Globalstar satellite phone showed time and time again a significant and measurable superiority over the Iridium satellite telephone system, under all conditions.
“This information was referenced from an evaluation made by Satellite Communications Group of Frost and Sullivan”
