Calls using mobile satellite systems (MSS) will become cheaper as new networks are launched in the next 18 months, according to British Telecom (BT) Aeronautical and Maritime managing director Rohan Chanmugam.
He said satellite call rates from the United States that now cost US$3 per minute would drop to $2 within 12 months.
Intra-regional tariffs could fall below $1 per minute within two years.
While the cheapest phone calls are for local connections made on a fixed line, satellite phone calls are on the other side of the spectrum, costing up to $7 per minute.
Financially troubled MSS operator Iridium this week announced it would drop prices for handsets and phone services in an effort to boost its lagging subscriber base.
Iridium Southeast Asia has 1,000 customers in Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Burma - only one-third of its targeted 3,000 subscriber base.
