Thuraya officially releases world's smallest satellite phone

Details: Alec Barton; Category: Devices & Platforms; 31 October 2006; 12478 views

Thuraya Satellite Telecommunications Company has officially released its second-generation handheld phones, believed by the company to be the lightest and smallest in the industry.

Thuraya sees satellite handhelds as a major driving force for its future commercial success: "The high demand for the new handsets will create a renewed market momentum for us," believes Thuraya CEO Yousuf Al Sayed said.

The SO-2510 saw its initial shipment of 10,000 units sold out in September; Thuraya plans to sell 90,000 units in 12-15 months. The SG-2520 smart phone will be commercially available later this year, with Thuraya planning to sell 70,000 units in 12 months. The SO-2510 retails for around US$725 and the SG-2520 is expected to sell for about US$925.

The SO-2510 is a satellite-only version designed for those requiring mobile connectivity in areas beyond terrestrial networks. At 130 grams, it is claimed to be the world's lightest and smallest satellite phone. It has features such as GPS, high-resolution colour screen, enhanced memory, polyphonic ringtones, USB connectivity and multi-language support. With its GSM-like menu, the handset offers voice, data, fax and short messaging.

Thuraya recently tested the phone's GPRS capabilities by making the first high-speed Internet connection via a satellite handheld terminal. Data can be downloaded at speeds of up to 60kb/s and uploaded at 15kb/s. The GPRS service will be available to customers at an additional fee.

The new phones are manufactured by APSI of South Korea, a firm partly owned by Thuraya, and generated interest at last month's Asia-Pacific Satellite Communications Council (APSCC) conference in Seoul. Thuraya, which is based in Abu Dhabi, UAE, will launch its third satellite, Thuraya-3, early next year.