New coverage info from GLP!
globalstar.com
At long last, the despised "41 countries for initial service in 1999" page has been updated...
It now lists 65 "countries" as within G's "expected satellite coverage as of April 2000."
Countries added to the list: Albania, Andorra, Australia, Azores, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Faeroe Islands, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Moldova, Morocco, Namibia, Norway, Poland, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Slovak Republic, Sweden, Ukraine, Venezuela, Zimbabwe.
Dropped from the list in an apparent error (or deference to US political sensibilities) is Yugoslavia, to which Elsacom is already claiming to provide service.
Well, this updated list shows some progress, and I'm pleased to see no drop-offs from the previous list plus the addition of several important countries, including Poland, Ukraine, Australia and Saudi Arabia (with an implication that that country's GW is on track); still there are several disappointments: April is a long way off, and no one can tell definitively where service is really available TODAY.
Notably absent from the list is Peru and neighboring countries, Caribbean islands, Turkey and most of Northern Africa. Also, it must be noted, the list compares unfavorably with the recent prospectus which forecasted GW coverage of 79 countries by the end of Q1 and billable service in 72. Most of this apparent shortfall could be made up by counting Caribbean island nations and neighboring states to Saudia Arabia, so I don't believe the shortfall is too significant.
So: two steps forward, one step back.... |
