Global Satellite Systems
(Quick Overview)
Description
Orbit
Orbit Height (km)
Number of Satellites
Global Coverage
Inmarsat
Iridium
Globalstar
New ICO
GEO
LEO
LEO
MEO
35,786
780
1414
10,000
4F2+4F3
66
48
12-20
Yes
Yes
Yes (planned)
Yes (planned)
Service Start
1982
1998-2000*
28.03.2001**
2000
2003
Voice (kbit/s)
Fax (kbps)
Data (kbps)
ISDN
MPDS
SMS
Paging
Size
Price (US$)
Minute rate (US$)
Weight (kg)
4.8
4.8
4.8
4.8
2.4-64
No
2.4
2.4-?
0.6-64
2.4
9.6
9.6-?
Yes
No
No
?
Yes(mid-2001)
No
No
?
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
No
No
notebook
handheld
handheld
handheld
>3000
>1500
>1000
>1000
0.19-7.5
0.85-1.80
1.8-4.0
1.0-3.0
2.2
0.375
0.35
0.2-0.3
Data 432.2kbps
Data 9.6kbps
BANKRUPTCY
see Stock Chart***
Not launched yet
Perspective
*-March 17, 2000 shut down due to bankruptcy
**-On March 28, 2001 commercial service relaunched
***-Globalstar Stock Chart.
Iridium News
2002 May 08
Launch of two new Iridium Satellites has been scheduled on June 19th 2002 by Russian SS19
Rocket Systems.
2002 February 13 Iridium Satellite LLC on Wednesday said it successfully deployed five new spare satellites,
launched by Boeing Co., to help extend the longevity of its global voice and data network; the deployment of the
spare satellites was part of the plan to extend the life of the network into 2010 and beyond.
2001 June 08 Motorola, manufacturer of the subscriber equipment for the Iridium(R) satellite system,
announced today that the National Security Agency (NSA) has certified Motorola's Type 1 Iridium Security
Module (ISM) for the new Motorola Satellite Series(TM) 9505 portable telephone. The ISM is intended for the
protection of voice communications at security levels up to and including Top Secret.
2001 June 06 Iridium Satellite LLC today announced the commercial availability of its mobile satellite data
services, including dial-up connectivity and direct-Internet connections. To fulfill industrial market
requirements, Iridium's dial-up data capability provides connectivity to corporate data users at 2.4 Kbps, while
Iridium's direct-Internet data services provide an optimized connection to the Internet at 10 Kbps, independent
of the Public Switch Telephone Network (PSTN).
2001 April 23 Gino Picasso(former the president and chief operating officer of AceComm) was assigned
today as president and chief executive of Iridium Satellite LLC. Picasso will step in today for Dan Colussy.
Colussy will remain as chairman.
2001 March 28 Iridium Satellite LLC has announced Commercial Service launch. Anyhow customers will be
able to use service from 10:00am on Friday, March 30, 2001.
2001 February 27 Commercial Service will be launched on March 31, 2001. Only in USA and mosst likely
Canada.
2001 January 09 Iridium Satellite LLC announced that it has completed the acquisition of the operating assets
of Iridium LLC and its subsidiaries. With the asset transfer complete, Iridium Satellite LLC now owns all of the
former assets of Iridium LLC, including the satellite constellation, the terrestrial network, Iridium real property
and intellectual property owned by Iridium LLC.
Iridium Satellite LLC begins service to the U.S. government immediately. By the end of the 1st quarter of 2001,
company will launch commercial satellite communications services to heavy industry and other government
customers.
Iridium Satellite LLC will begin service with voice and limited data capabilities. The company expects to offer
enhanced data at 10Kbps within six months of service launch and short burst messaging by the end of 2001.
Iridium satellite also plans to offer specialty equipment for aviation, maritime and fixed applications. Iridium
Satellite LLC has contracted with the Boeing Company to operate and maintain the satellite constellation, and
Motorola has agreed to provide subscriber equipment.
2000 December 07 The new owners of Iridium said Tuesday they would sell bulk air time that could vastly
expand telecommunications in China, Russia, India and elsewhere in the developing world. Iridium Satellite
LLC, an investor group, said it had "millions of minutes going to waste" after wrapping up the $25 million
purchase of the 66-satellite, low-orbit network in bankruptcy court in Manhattan.
"We don't have a shortage" of airtime to wholesale at "extremely competitive" rates, said Dan Colussy,
chairman of the venture. The new owners plan to market airtime at less than $1.50 a minute to companies in
aviation, maritime services, oil and gas, mining, heavy construction, forestry and emergency services.
The U.S. Defense Department, citing a growing need for secure point-to-point communications anywhere on the
globe, stepped in last week to keep the Iridium satellites from being de-orbited. De-orbiting cast-off hardware is
critical to avoid a build-up of debris that could get in the way of working satellites and space missions.
Motorola, which spent as much as $10 million a month to run the system, had planned to begin a 14-month
phased destruction this month. Under the Pentagon's keystone deal with the new venture, up to 20,000 U.S.
government users, including U.S. military forces worldwide, will have unlimited airtime on the network for $3
million a month. The new company, based in Leesburg, Va., will operate for less than $7 million a month, free
of the old owners' $5 billion debt service.
New owners planned to launch 12 new satellites by about March 2002 to serve as spares.
2000 November 22 , Iridium Satellite LLC, won conditional court approval to buy the operating assets of the
bankrupt company.
2000 November 17 A new company called Iridium Satellite LLC is on the verge of buying the assets of the
bankrupt mobile satellite services company Iridium LLC.
A spokesman on behalf of the new Iridium confirmed that the person behind the venture is airline veteran Dan
Colussy, who in the past has run Canadian Pacific Airlines and Pan American World Airlines. Colussy is
currently a director of Baltimore-based Constellation Energy Group.
He also added that a ruling on whether the new venture could buy the assets was made Thursday. But there has
been no official confirmation of approval from the bankruptcy court to transfer the assets to Iridium Satellite
LLC.
Reports from various sources said the assets, including the 66-satellite Iridium constellation, would be acquired
for around US$25 million by Colussy and a group of investors. Some reports said the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for
the Southern District of New York had officially approved Iridium Satellite's bid to buy all assets of Iridium and
its subsidiaries.
Iridium Satellite plans to relaunch affordable satellite communications services within 60 days.
Boeing Co. of Seattle is said to have been given the contract to maintain the satellites in the future.
2000 September 17 Service discontinued.
2000 September 13 Iridium LLC server (www.iridium.com) is no longer available in the Internet
2000 August 30 The bankrupt Iridium venture has received another bid ($30 million) from California-based
organization named CMC International to save the wireless phone company's $5 billion satellite system from
being pulled from space and destroyed.
Tîday anyone can submit a bid to the New York bankruptcy court handling the Iridium case, and as the situation
turned more dire in recent weeks, there have been "official" bids for as little as $5 million and even nothing but
a pledge to repay debtors over 20 years.
The next court hearing in the case was scheduled for Monday, September, 4.
2000 August 23 A bankruptcy court hearing originally set for Wednesday to discuss possible takeover bids
for Iridium had been cancelled because no qualified buyers emerged.
Motorola is currently finalising a schedule to destroy the 66 satellites of Iridium LLC because the bankrupt
satellite telephone it backed failed to find a buyer.
As Motorola representative explained, "we're putting together a final schedule to decommission the (satellite)
constellation, cause it is costing us several millions of dollars of month to maintain the network."
2000 August 9 A U.S. bankruptcy court on Wednesday scheduled a hearing for Aug. 23 to discuss possible
bids for bankrupt satellite telephone company Iridium LLC .
2000 July 31
A bankruptcy court on Monday gave the Iridium satellite venture a week and a half to find a
buyer for the company's assets or else face a plan to deorbit its $5 billion network of satellites in space.
Iridium now has until August 9 to try and work out a new deal with Castle Harlan or another company, such as
New York-based Venture Partners, which expressed interest in the company earlier this year. If no deal is made
by then, Motorola, which operates the satellites for Iridium, will have approval from the court to begin
deorbiting Iridium's satellite constellation.
2000 June 14 Chase Manhattan Bank has sued 17 members of the bankrupt satellite telephone company
Iridium LLC for $242.7 million alleging it was an obligation triggered when Iridium defaulted on loan
payments last year. In papers filed Friday in the U.S. District Court in Delaware, Chase stated the $800 million
loan it made in December, 1998 to subsidiary Iridium Operating LLC.
One of 17 defendants is Russia's Krunichev State Research and Production Space Center, which owes $10
million.
The court has scheduled a hearing July 31 on the bidding process for the Iridium assets and the Chase
Manhatten action could have a significant influence in that process.
2000 June 7 At least three investor groups are bidding to rescue the satellite operations of Iridium, LLC:
Polaris Group, backed by Castle Harlan, Venture Partners Inc., backed by Huges Global Systems and General
Dynamics and IR Acquisition Group. Only IR Acquisition Group declared so far its plan to "turn Iridium into
cellphone with a satellite feature. Monthly subscription fee of $150 will include 1,500 minutes of cellular phone
time and 200 minutes of satellite time".
2000 June 1 Investment firm Castle Harlan, Inc., filed a letter in federal bankruptcy court expressing its
interest in acquiring the assets of Iridium, LLC for $50 million, plus an equity consideration in the successor
entity. Proposal provides for a 45-day period during which the firm would complete the due diligence to
determine the viability of its business plan.
2000 May 18 IR Acquisition Group submitted a proposal to acquire the assets of Iridium, LLC for $61
million dollars.
2000 March 20 Motorolla appealed to Gateway Operators to continie the provision of services for the current
subscribers until deorbiting is finalized. That means it is still possible to use the following services: 1) "PSTN Iridium Phone" Call, 2) "Iridium Phone - Iridium Phone" Call, 3) paging.
2000 March 17 Iridium, LLC declared termination of services and started liquidation.