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Communication · Satellite · Independent long-range channel

Satellite communication

Starlink · Iridium · Redundancy

Satellite communication is the only channel that continues to work to the outside world when power, mobile network and internet fail on a large scale – because it bypasses all of Switzerland's terrestrial infrastructure. For households there are two practical ways: an Iridium satellite phone or a satellite messenger like Garmin inReach as a portable, power-efficient voice and text lifeline – and Starlink as a full-featured but power-hungry internet base station, which only makes sense with prepared emergency power.

RangeGlobal · Pole-to-pole
LicenceFree to use in CH
PowerIridium frugal · Starlink high

Why a satellite channel is the crucial redundancy

Mobile and fixed-line internet share the same weaknesses: the power grid, the fibre optic in the background (backhaul) and the network operator's core network. If one of these components fails on a large scale, both channels are usually dead at the same time. A satellite channel does not depend on any of these – it works precisely when terrestrial networks fail.

Instead of via antenna towers and cables, the connection runs via satellites. For emergency purposes, low earth orbits (LEO) are particularly important: they enable low latency and – with Iridium – true worldwide coverage.

  • Satcom supplements the emergency radio concept but does not replace it: it stands as level 4 (independent long-range channel) alongside the reception of official warnings via crank radio (level 1), licence-free short-range radio PMR446 (level 2) and amateur radio (level 3).
  • Honest boundary: Satcom is also not completely self-sufficient. Starlink depends on SpaceX satellites, on a reachable European ground station and on SpaceX as a company; Iridium on the Iridium operator. Both require clear line of sight to the sky and power for the device.
  • Basic rule for all Satcom: it requires clear line of sight to the open sky. No satellite device works reliably indoors, in the cellar or in a shelter – there the battery or crank radio remains the means of choice.

Two fundamentally different paths: broadband or lifeline

For Swiss households, two systems are practically relevant. They serve different needs and do not exclude each other.

  • Iridium satellite phone or satellite messenger (e.g. Garmin inReach, Iridium 9575 Extreme): a portable, power-efficient voice and text lifeline. Runs for days to weeks on its own battery, works worldwide in the open air and sends SOS and short messages. For a sign of life or a distress call, this is the recommended basic redundancy for most households.
  • Starlink (LEO broadband): a full-featured internet base station for video, VoIP telephony and family or neighbourhood coordination centre. But it is fixed in place, requires constant power and clear sky view – and only makes sense as an emergency solution if emergency power (large power station, solar or generator) is prepared.
  • In short: Iridium is the portable distress lifeline, Starlink the power-hungry broadband centre. If you only set up one channel, you usually start with the first.

Starlink: how it works and hardware

Starlink is a LEO network of several thousand satellites at roughly 550 km altitude. The user terminal (the "dish") transmits to the nearest satellite; this relays the data via a ground station (gateway) or via laser link between satellites. If no ground station is within range and no laser link is available, an area cannot be served.

The antenna is electronically controlled and requires a clear line of sight upwards. Obstacles such as trees or roof edges interrupt the connection – even a small partial obstruction leads to outages in heavy rain.

  • Standard dish (Gen 3): larger antenna (approx. 3 kg) with separate WLAN router, fixed or semi-portable, operation at mains socket. The more powerful but power-hungry variant.
  • Starlink Mini: significantly smaller (antenna approx. 1 kg, package approx. 2.7 kg) with integrated router and a DC input for 12–48 V. Backpack-capable and noticeably more frugal – for preppers and off-grid the relevant variant.
  • Both variants require a location with clear sky view; the Mini can be set up and taken down more quickly and carried away.

Starlink in Switzerland: availability and power consumption

Starlink is usable throughout Switzerland – satellite-based and thus de facto nationwide, but always only with clear sky view at the respective location. It is not a nationwide service in the terrestrial sense, but a line of sight to the sky.

The biggest practical factor in an emergency is power: Starlink has no internal battery and only runs as long as a power source supplies the device. That is precisely why the emergency value stands and falls with prepared emergency power supply.

  • Starlink Mini: in the field approx. 25–30 W during operation (idle approx. 15 W). This gives roughly 600–720 Wh over a 24/7 day; at 8 hours use approx. 200 Wh.
  • Standard dish (Gen 3): approx. 65 W as a planning value (rated values reach up to 75–100 W, in the field rather 40–90 W). That is roughly 1.5–2.4 kWh per 24/7 day – significantly more demanding for pure solar operation.
  • All watt values are snapshots (as of July 2026) and firmware-dependent; in frost and precipitation the snow-melt heating adds 10–20 W. Verify against the current datasheet before purchase.
  • Efficient off-grid: operating the Mini directly via DC to a 12–48 V battery saves the losses of an inverter. Rule of thumb: a roughly 500 Wh power station carries the Mini for about 1–2 days; with a 100–200 W solar panel it becomes net self-sufficient in good sun; for 24/7 operation rather plan for roughly 1000 Wh storage plus at least 200 W solar. The dimensioning is in the Emergency Power & Solar guide.

Starlink: performance, prices and limits

In terms of speed, Starlink delivers real broadband: the standard dish up to around 400 Mbit/s download, the Mini realistically about 100–200 Mbit/s, each with around 30–40 ms latency. Rain, snow and fog dampen the signal (rain fade) – light rain barely, heavy rain with occasional brief outages.

  • Prices (approx., as of July 2026 – verify live with the provider before purchase): hardware from about CHF 240 for the Mini respectively about CHF 330 for the standard dish; monthly subscription from roughly CHF 30–35. Only the official Starlink website quotes reliable, current prices.
  • No gateway on Swiss soil (as of July 2026): Swiss traffic runs via European ground stations in France, Germany and Italy. A first CH ground station in Leuk (VS) is planned but not yet operational.
  • Single-provider risk: Starlink is robust against local Swiss outages but remains completely dependent on SpaceX and foreign gateway infrastructure. This is a deliberate trade-off, not complete self-sufficiency.
  • Direct-to-Cell (SMS directly from a regular mobile phone via Starlink satellites) is NOT a reliable emergency service in Switzerland as of July 2026. Salt tested in 2025 on an experimental licence; commercial operation is expected earliest around 2027. Do not rely on it.

Iridium: the portable voice and text lifeline

Iridium is the counterpart to Starlink: narrowband but worldwide and power-efficient. 66 active LEO satellites at roughly 780 km are cross-linked and transmit to each other – this gives true pole-to-pole world coverage, including oceans and mountains. Handheld devices do not need to be aligned but require clear line of sight to the open sky.

The bandwidth is deliberately small: handheld devices transmit at roughly 2.4 kbit/s – enough for voice and short messages, unsuitable for real internet. This is the price for robustness and low power consumption.

  • Iridium 9555 and 9575 Extreme: classic satellite phones for voice, SMS and short data. The 9575 Extreme is robust (military standard, dustproof and splash-proof) and has GPS plus a one-touch SOS button.
  • Iridium GO! and GO! exec: turn your own smartphone into a satellite device via WLAN hotspot for voice, messages and – on the exec – some basic data traffic.
  • Power-efficient and portable: internal battery for roughly 4 hours talk time resp. roughly 30 hours standby, rechargeable via USB or solar. This allows an Iridium device to last days to weeks in a blackout.
  • Prices (approx., as of July 2026 – verify live): genuine Iridium satellite phone roughly CHF 1,600–2,100, plus SIM and airtime (roughly 1–3 CHF resp. USD per minute, SMS per message). Credit expires. Available in Switzerland via authorised dealers such as Pulsar-Electronic, partly also on a rental basis.

Starlink vs. Iridium in direct comparison

Both systems serve different tasks. The following comparison shows when which is suitable (all figures approx., as of July 2026).

  • Coverage: Starlink nationwide in Switzerland but gateway-dependent (EU ground stations); Iridium true pole-to-pole worldwide coverage. Both only with clear sky view.
  • Bandwidth: Starlink broadband (Mini roughly 100–200 Mbit/s, standard up to 400 Mbit/s) for video and VoIP; Iridium narrowband (handheld roughly 2.4 kbit/s) only for voice and short text.
  • Power: Starlink power-hungry (Mini roughly 25–30 W, standard roughly 65 W average) and without internal battery; Iridium very frugal with days to weeks battery life.
  • Portability: Starlink Mini backpack-capable, standard dish fixed in place; Iridium fully portable as a handheld device, no setup required.
  • Price: Starlink from roughly CHF 240 (Mini) plus subscription from roughly CHF 30–35 per month; Iridium satellite phone roughly CHF 1,600–2,100 plus expensive airtime, a Garmin inReach messenger on the other hand from roughly CHF 240–400 plus affordable subscription.
  • Disaster suitability: Starlink is the broadband base station for a group or household – but only with prepared emergency power; Iridium and inReach are the portable lifeline that works anywhere and immediately.

Who should get what?

The choice depends on what is needed in an emergency – a sign of life or an entire communication centre.

  • Base for most households: an Iridium satellite messenger like the Garmin inReach (Mini 2 or Messenger). Portable text and SOS lifeline with weeks of battery life, from roughly CHF 240–400 plus subscription. The guaranteed "call for help / I'm OK" channel when the network is down.
  • Starlink is worthwhile if real internet is needed for household, office or coordination and at the same time sufficient emergency power (generator, large battery, solar) is prepared. Without prepared power, it is overdimensioned as a personal blackout lifeline.
  • Smartphone satellite SOS as a third layer: newer iPhones (14 and upwards) offer a satellite distress SOS in Switzerland – free and "already in your pocket", but limited to the distress call. This supplements but does not replace a dedicated inReach.
  • Redundancy principle "two is one, one is none": at least one communication path that does not share the common power and mast dependence of terrestrial networks.

Other options briefly explained

  • Garmin inReach (Mini 2, Messenger): uses the Iridium network for two-way text and SOS via a 24/7 emergency call centre. Affordable, power-efficient, SOS built in – for many CH households the recommended entry-level redundancy.
  • Apple emergency SOS via satellite: available in Switzerland (iPhone 14 and newer), currently at least until November 2026 for free. Full satellite SMS via the mobile operator is not yet reliably available in Switzerland.
  • Android satellite services (Pixel, Samsung): in Europe so far only via individual providers and tests, without confirmed Swiss consumer availability (as of 2026).
  • Thuraya (geostationary): technically covers Switzerland but requires a flat view to the southeast and is problematic in alpine valleys and narrow city canyons. For CH preppers Iridium is the more robust choice.

Law and honest boundaries in Switzerland

Legally both paths are viable for end users in Switzerland – with one important structural restriction on Starlink.

  • Starlink: the operator has held an OFCOM concession since August 2023, home dishes are legally usable for end customers; your own radio concession is not required. The restriction is building code, not radio law: mounting a dish requires permission from the landlord; depending on the municipality and architectural heritage protection, also a permit.
  • Satellite phones (Iridium): openly available in Switzerland via authorised dealers to private customers; no permit requirement for end users is known (Switzerland is not on any satellite phone prohibition list). This classification is based on dealer and secondary sources – in case of doubt, verify directly with OFCOM.
  • Honest boundaries: both systems require clear sky view and power for the device – nothing works in the cellar or shelter. Starlink additionally depends on foreign ground stations and SpaceX; Direct-to-Cell is not a reliable emergency service in Switzerland before roughly 2027. Prices and firmware-dependent watt values change constantly.

How to proceed

  • First secure the portable lifeline: obtain an Iridium satellite phone or a Garmin inReach messenger, activate it and test the SOS function once in the provider's test mode.
  • Only if real broadband is needed: plan the Starlink Mini and at the same time dimension the emergency power supply – without prepared power the dish is useless in a blackout.
  • Determine a location with clear sky view and test it in advance; practise setting up and taking down the Mini while the network is still working.
  • Shortly before purchase, verify prices, subscriptions and watt values at the primary source (official provider websites, Swiss dealers) – they change frequently.
  • Place Satcom in the emergency plan: as level 4 (independent long-range channel) alongside crank radio (reception), PMR446 (short-range) and amateur radio (regional).

Good to know

  • Starlink has no internal battery – without emergency power no operation
  • Iridium and inReach run for days to weeks on their own battery
  • No Satcom works in the cellar or shelter – always clear sky view required
  • All prices and watt values are snapshots (as of July 2026) and must be verified live before purchase

Further sources

→ View matching emergency radio frequencies