Abstract

A telephone call may be made to a remote vehicle, such as a long haul truck, located in an unknown cellular telephone cell in a remote service area. The remote vehicle is provided with a cellular telephone, satellite data communications system and a position signal receiver for a system such as LORAN-C or Global Positioning System (GPS). If the control center desires to initiate a voice communication with the remote vehicle, the control facility transmits a voice communication request to the remote vehicle via a non-voice data communications satellite. The position signal receiver receives data from the LORAN-C or GPS transmitter indicative of the current geographic location of the remote vehicle and transmits the data to the control center via the data communications satellite. At the control center a computer with a data base identifying the geographic extent of relevant cellular telephone cells uses the location of the remote vehicle to identify the cell in which the remote vehicle is presently located. A telephone call is then initiated from the control center to the remote vehicle via landline and cellular telephone network serving the identified cell. Further, if the operator of the remote vehicle desires to initiate a telephone call, he can send a request via the satellite data link. The control center can then initiate the call as described above.