(FORTUNE Magazine) – Less than a decade ago getting or sending mail in the Galapagos Islands meant enduring the tortoise pace of the postal service. But now a tourist sailing off the coast of Ecuador--or just about anywhere, for that matter--can check e-mail, trade stocks, and browse the Web without ever crawling ashore. All it takes is a laptop computer, a GlobalStar GSP-1600 mobile phone, and GlobalStar's brand-new Internet-access service.

Unlike competitors Inmarsat and Iridium, GlobalStar--which has been offering satellite phone service since 1991--is aiming its Internet service at the consumer market. The company is betting that traveling execs will want to check e-mail from fishing lodges in Alaska, from sailboats in the Caribbean, or from the road in places where regular cell phone coverage is weak.

GlobalStar uses a constellation of 48 low-earth-orbit satellites to provide voice and data coverage over most of North America, South America, the Caribbean, Western Europe, and Australia, extending as far as 200 miles out to sea. The phone acts as a modem for the laptop, and it works as long as you're outdoors with a clear view of open sky. While this is not a system for sending or receiving large PowerPoint presentations--the data rate is 9,600 bits per second--it's fine for e-mail and small files.

Cost-conscious users will appreciate that per-minute rates average $1.50 (they range from 99 cents to $3.50, depending on the service plan you choose and whether you're roaming when you call). That's less than half what Iridium charged and not much more than a long-distance call from a Las Vegas hotel. The GSP-1600 phone, made by Qualcomm, lists for $1,199, but dealer promotions mean you can sometimes get it for less than $800. Not much larger or heavier than a standard cordless phone, it has a large antenna that stows into the phone's case when not needed.

One caveat: The GlobalStar system routes traffic through ground stations with a maximum range of about 1,500 miles. It does not cover vast expanses of ocean. So the Tom Hanks character marooned on a South Pacific island in Cast Away would've had no use for it--except perhaps to crack coconuts.