Qualcomm Inc. worked with PDT to develop the GSP 1700, a satellite handset intended for communications use where consumer handsets cannot work, in disaster stricken areas, remote working locations, or where pioneering expeditions are ready to break frontiers. The GSP 1700 is the smallest, lightest Globalstar satellite phone, making it ultra portable. Designing a lifeline to civilization presents a set of unique challenges. Antenna technology requires an oversized transceiver for reliable communication, yet users demand a small portable device that can be appropriate for frequent daily use. Quick, reliable deployment, activation, and operation were priority as well as resistance to the elements. The hierarchy of emergency preparedness, business continuity and recreational durability needed to blend in order to present the GSP 1700 – a use and user focused solution.
