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Whether you sprain an ankle high in the Hindu Kush, break an axle in Siberia, or come down with a neglected tropical disease trekking in the jungle, a satellite phone can be a lifesaver.
Anyone looking to cross Africa or Asia’s less-populated corners should consider bringing a satellite phone, which doesn’t rely on cell phone towers to gain signal, and the telecom tool is one of the first pieces of advanced kit any traveler should consider bringing into remote locations.
Travelers on a budget can save a lot on satellite communication devices by buying satellite messaging devices rather than proper phones that work on both GPS and SMS, and can broadcast the position of a stranded vehicle or an injured backpacker as well as send text messages out to relevant parties.
But there are some counties where satellite phones and transponders are actually illegal—believe it or not—or at minimum tightly regulated.
These life-saving devices are illegal in North Korea, Iran, Russia, Pakistan, Libya, and Myanmar.
But it isn’t only paranoid, militaristic regimes that regulate them—they are also illegal or tightly regulated in India, Nigeria, Chad, Sri Lanka, Sudan, China, Cuba, and Bangladesh.
Satellite communications have been illegal to possess without a license in India since 2008, after it was found that a terrorist attack in Mumbai was coordinated with satellite phones. It’s a similar story in Nigeria after militants were found using their phones to plan attacks.
What if I have to bring a satellite phone to this country?
It’s important to remember that a traveler might not be planning to visit one of these countries individually, but rather to pass through it as part of an ambitious activity like a trans-continental drive or something. Departing Egypt to drive to South Africa, for example, one would pass through either Chad or Sudan, in which if they were stopped and a satellite phone was discovered on their person, trouble may follow.
The same could go for Russia, China, or Pakistan—even unintentionally. If crossing the Mongolian steppes or tracing the Silk Road, accidentally entering any of these countries is possible, and if stopped at a border crossing, a satellite phone might lead to a traveler being arrested.
These are the sorts of activities that hardcore travelers dream about, and for which having a satellite phone is critically important for safety purposes.
In nearly all these countries, however, travelers can contact government communications ministries to register satellite communication devices, SIM cards, and other potentially unlawful tech. In some, like India, it’s more of a standard procedure—like registering a car or a foreign driver’s license.
In others however, there is little information—for example in Nigeria where satellite phones are outrightly illegal in Borno, but restrictions in other parts of the country aren’t well-explained.
Also, it’s not prejudicial to say that the strength of governance in some of these countries is not robust, and if it were the case that satellite phones were once illegal but are now legal, it’s still a good idea to speak with a ministry about entering with one, since many rural police officers may not be informed of the change in laws.
What if I don’t want to risk it?
If you don’t want to deal with government laws regarding satellite phone usage, there are other ways to ensure safety in remote places.
Many smartphones (iPhone model 14 and onward, Google Pixel, Samsung Galaxy) have an Emergency SOS whereby a message can be sent via satellite to emergency services, or an emergency contact if the Emergency SOS feature isn’t available in the country you’re visiting.
In this case, you can enter the number of an evacuation company or travel insurance firm that can organize in the country to reach you via domestic emergency services.
This is the function of Field Rescue from Global Rescue, an industry leader in providing medical and security advisory and evacuation services to travelers around the world no matter where they are.
Field Rescue, which is included in a Global Rescue membership, provides evacuation from the place of injury or distress to the nearest appropriate medical or diplomatic services. No other company provides coverage as wide as Global Rescue, which has accomplished over 20,000 operations varying from Hezbollah’s war with Israel, the Arab Spring, the earthquakes in Haiti and Nepal, and more recently, Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico.
Global Rescue’s Field Rescue emergency number can be entered as an emergency contact and reached with SMS via Apple’s Emergency SOS feature, though this is not 100% failproof. Satellite messaging devices mentioned above that cost a fraction of what a typical satellite phone retails for can also send SMS texts to Global Rescue, and are more reliable.
Typical travel insurance firms spend most of their operation time and manpower dealing with claims regarding stolen property or disrupted travel plans like canceled fights. Contrastingly, Global Rescue focuses on being the world’s leading medical, security, evacuation, travel risk, and crisis management service.
In other words, Global Rescue deals with the worst-case scenarios—the rarest, more nightmarish situations your loved ones pose to you when you tell them you’re going on an adventure abroad—the disruptions and emergencies that really matter.
There’s an old saying in the military: ‘Prepare for the worst and believe it won’t happen.’ This is the way a responsible traveler should prepare for a trip. WaL
PICTURED ABOVE: PC: Dmitriy Suponnikov, Unsplash
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