Iv'e rented sat phones a few times for hunting trips. I backpack hunt in the mountains alone, and I own a business that is hard to be out of communication for 2 weeks. I don't know how rates are when you actaully own the phone, but the last one that I got (2 falls ago) I was paying a little over $2.50 a minute, and that was with alot of shopping around. Not the cheapest rates around that is for sure. Like Kevin said though, they are still fickle bastards and don't work in every case.

I would have to say that you have to have a good chunk of change in your pocket not to worry about the cost of one of them. Some day they will come down, just like everything else.