The SWANsat™ satellite service will not begin until launch of the SWANsat™ satellites in 2014. When SWANsat™ satellite service begins, the SWANsat™ handset is expected to feature a USB 2 and firewire ports, in/out audio & video connections with a built-in 30 fps video camera, a Bluetooth™ wireless headset, and a built-in FM transmitter. It will provide our subscribers with unparalleled connectivity everywhere on the planet. How’s that for service? 

The SWANsat™ business model divides the globe into nine Subscriber Account Territories (SATs).  Each SAT has a World Code™, which functions in a manner similar to a telephone area code (for telephone calls placed in the USA and Canada) or a country code (for telephone calls placed anywhere in the world).  Here are the nine World Codes™:

No, but your SWANsat account will be serviced by your local cell phone carrier only. If you already have a working cell phone number, your local cell phone carrier will arrange for a SWANsat-enabled handset to replace the cell phone that you are using when you enroll in the SWANsat services through your cell phone service provider.

And best of all, if you have a cell phone with a SIMM chip, you will find that your cell phone's number is your SWANsat™ Subscriber Account Number, and your SIMM chip can be transferred to your SWANsat™ handset so that all of the phone numbers you have entered into your cell phone will work in your new SWANsat™ handset.

Note that not all cell phone carriers in the United States and Canada, or worldwide for that matter, will participate in the SWANsat services, or offer our SWANsat services as a re-branded option to you. You may have to request that your carrier become a SWANsat service provider. If your current cell phone carrier does not provide the re-branded SWANsat services that you want, your only option will be to switch to a carrier that has agreed to provide SWANsat-capable handsets to its subscribers.

Establish or maintain cellular telephone service with a  cell phone carrier that will agree to provide you with SWANsat satellite-enabled handsets. Note that we have not yet selected any cellular service providers to provide these services because our launch date will not be until December 22, 2014. But when we have selected a cellular service provider who will co-brand our SWANsat services, your SWANsat™ account number will be your cell phone number preceded by your SWANsat World Code™ and your international dialing prefix.

Functionally, yes, and from anywhere on the planet through the SWANsat™ system from any SWANsat™ subscriber to any SWANsat™ subscriber. You will also be able to connect wirelessly to any landed or cellular telephone or fax line in any country. You will be able to do this wirelessly with the SWANsat™ service when our satellites are launched.

VOIP connections placed between SWANsat™ subscribers will be free of charge, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with no connection or air time charges. You can talk as long as you want; 24/7 calls will be a part of your SWANsat™ service.

We do not expect that there will be any additional charges for connecting through the SWANsat™ system down to land lines. It may be, however, that by the time the SWANsat™ system launches, there may be a small per-minute fee for connecting to the local Public Switched Telephone Networks (PSTN), just as Skype requires. But these issues deal more with the so-called "landing rights" that local countries and local telephone companies require. These fees are not imposed by SWANsat™. The governing laws and country-specific taxes, rules, and regulations in this area relate to phone calls, not to Internet connections. That's why satellite phone systems have to pay "landing rights" for services; they pass through the receiving country's PSTN.

The SWANsat™ system is not a phone system. And the audio portion of the SWANsat™ services aren't technically phone calls. Audio connections placed from your SWANsat™ handset are what is called a Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) connection. Your voice or audio feed is converted into a digital file in real time and sent over the SWANsat™ network to your recipient, where the digital files are converted into audio so you can speak and hear with the person you are calling.

Your SWANsat™ audio connection never passes through a PSTN, except if it has to pass down to a land line. And "calls" made between SWANsat™ subscribers NEVER pass through any of the PSTN's anywhere on the planet. And all phone calls will be fully encrypted.

By the way, if you enter a SWANsat™ subscriber's number into your SWANsat™ handset, you can connect with audio only (like a phone call), with audio and video (in full color at 30 fps through the built-in video camera), or you can go directly to the subscriber's personal mySWANsite™ subscriber web page.  Cool! Remember, your SWANsat™ handset is not a phone. It will actually be a Personal Internet Terminal that fits in your hand and can connect to your computer, TV or audio system.

Yes. They will call a toll-free number or a local access number that will direct their call through the SWANsat™ satellite system to your SWANsat™ handset no matter where the call originates from or what time of the day they call you, and no matter where you are at the time you receive your call. Oh, and by the way, who says the connection to you has to be by voice? A SWANsat™ subscriber can connect to you with his or her SWANsat™ handset by video, too.

And yes, you will be able to block unwanted "spam" calls to your SWANsat™ handset, just like you will be able to block unwanted spam emails to your inbox. Cool! Try that with your local or long distance phone service provider!

By the way, if you find the caller is an unwanted telemarketer, you can flag the incoming number with the built in "caller ID" service. Then you will never have to receive a call from that incoming number again. And if we find that a particular group of telemarketers are "spamming" our system, we will deal with them. Severely. In some cases, we may be able to collect damages which we will be happy to pass on to our affected subscribers.

And yes, there is a built-in vibrator alert for silent notification of incoming phone calls, email, or voice mail or video mail.

Oh, and there actually is an "off" button. Spend time with your spouse. And your kids. Go fishing. Play some golf. Smoke a cigar. Or a pipe. Maybe not in that order.

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