September 23, 1998. Copyright, 1998, Graphic News. All rights reserved
MOBILE GOES GLOBAL

LONDON, September 23, Graphic News- PLANS FOR a truly mobile communication system that spans the globe have gone from the drawing board and into orbit. Iridium is a network of 66 satellites designed to let people speak to each other or receive pages from anywhere on earth using portable phones. Following 11 years of design, development and implementation, Iridium said it will introduce the service free of charge to a limited number of customers worldwide in September in order to do final testing and fine-tune the system, but it will postpone full commercial rollout until November. 

ÔWe are determined that Iridium customers will receive nothing less than the highest-quality service that our system is capable of providing,Õ said Iridium Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Edward Staiano.

Current communications satellites orbit high above the earth, up to 35,000km high. The powerful transmitters needed to reach these satellites make satellite mobile phones bulky, briefcase-sized contraptions. In contrast, the Iridium satellites orbit close to the earth, only 485 miles (780 kilometers) high. Transmitters need less power, allowing for hand-sized satellite phones similar to current mobile phones. In addition, calls can be made completely independent of ground-based switching networks. Most current satellite calls depend on ground-based switching at some point.

Iridium is backed by an international consortium of telecommunications and industrial companies, of which Motorola is the lead partner. The project has cost $5 billion to date.

Altogether, Iridium has put into orbit an unprecedented 79 satellites, including backups, aboard 17 launch vehicles in 16 months. Of the launched satellites, seven have been declared nonfunctioning and one is experiencing communications difficulties but may be able to be fixed. Motorola has scheduled another launch for October. 

Iridium said satellite failures are Ôa fact of life,Õ and as many as one failure every two months can be expected.

Separately, Motorola said it has identified and corrected a software defect that it believed was responsible for some of the satellite failures.

Iridium has negotiated more than 295 distribution agreements with service providers and partners serving more than 100 million subscribers in 122 countries and territories. Motorola plans to ship 100,000 Iridium phones by the end of the year.

/ENDS

Sources: Iridium, Reuters