No offense intended, but this analysis is horse patootie (even if the facts are true.)
Both Iridium and Globalstar are configured as supplements to and not replacements for the existing cellular networks, which generally work quite well in the cities. The point of satcom networks is to fill in the holes in the coverage.
For instance, I live in Montgomery County, near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania -- about half an hour from center city Philadelphia. I work in Chester County, two miles north of the next turnpike exit out, about seventeen miles from my house. I can see cellular towers from the front door of both my home and office. I lose cellular coverage in between for about five minutes.
I'm sure you recognize that this spotty coverage becomes much more common the farther from major metropolitan areas you get.
And this is Pennsylvania, not some third world country.
Way back in the dark ages (you know, the eighties) my then-employer, Radio Shack, got involved in selling cellular phones as a direct result of the CEO's wife's Cadillac breaking down on the highway outside Fort Worth, TX, stranding her for hours. If she broke down today on PA route 113, the same thing would happen.
When Globalstar phones hit the streets, they will cost less than cellular phones did then, so many people will simply buy a Globalstar phone instead of a conventional cellular / PCS phone. Most of the time the satellite connection will go unused (and unbilled!) until it is needed. |
