The Iridium satellite network is the only satellite phone network that covers the whole globe. It is a system of 66 Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites which give actual pole to pole coverage.

Iridium has been experiencing continual growth in the number of it's subscribers for the last few years. This growth has sped up since March 2007. On the 15^th of November Iridium announced its 2007 third quarter results.

Globalstar is a system of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites, which offers satellite communication for users located in North, South and Central America, Europe, Central and North Asia, Australia, North Africa and the coastal waters of these territories.

Thuraya is a local satellite phone service provider. Its coverage area at the moment is Europe, the Middle East, Central and South Asia, North and Central Africa. This area will most probably be expanded by March/April 2008 further East, and will cover East Asia, Australia and some Pacific areas.