A dual-mode telephone with a satellite communication adapter is disclosed.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, a cellular-type
handportable phone is equipped with a connector for the attachment of
accessories. This connector provide a satellite communications adapter
accessory access to the handset's signal processing resources which may
operate in an alternative mode to process signals received from the
satellite and converted by the adapter into a suitable form for
processing. The processing translates the satellite signals into voice or
data, and vice-versa.