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Microcap & Penny Stocks : Globalstar Telecommunications Limited GSAT -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: djane who wrote (7511)	9/23/1999 11:08:00 AM
From: djane	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 29987

Interesting post on I* phone use (via I* yahoo thread) Top>Business & Finance>Investments>Sectors>Services>Communications Services>IRIQE (Iridium World Comm. Ltd.) Some Observations on Using Iridium by: Discovery94 32272 of 32356 1. When the Iridium phone is shown to people who have been users of Inmarsat or similar ?briefcase? satellite phones, they make remarks like, ?How did they make it so small?? ?Is the antenna directional?? In addition, ?Why have I not heard about the Iridium system before?? "This is what we need." 2. When the Iridium phone is shown to people who are users of cellular phones, they make remarks like, ?Wow, it sure is big.? ?How much does it cost?? ?What are the service charges and the per minute charge?? It seems clear the Iridium phone is never going to replace the cellular phone, nor was it ever intended to do so. When I am in areas that are supported by cellular phone, I do not use my Iridium phone either. I do use my Iridium pager everywhere. I use my Iridium phone in remote areas where it is the only game in town. Those who live and work in remote areas are very impressed with the Iridium phone. City folks wonder why it was ever made. It is clear one view is based on one's needs. Most of Alaska and Canada are ideal markets for the Iridium system. Several factors contribute to its use there. 1. The major industries and natural resources are of sufficient magnitude so that cost is not an overwhelming issue. (Such is not always true of the tropical latitudes. I think Globalstar is going to find that out.) 2. Cellular phones will take much longer to deploy in the northern latitudes, and because of the vast areas with little or no population, most of this area will never be completely served by cellular phone companies. 3. The total population in the northern latitudes is much greater than might be realized by those living in the lower 48 and European countries. 4. Military, non-military government agencies, aviation, oil, mining, timber, fishing, and other large-scale operations have both the budget capabilities and the need for remote communications. (1 out of every 5 gallons of gasoline used in the US comes from Prudhoe Bay!) During the two plus months I spent driving all the way to Prudhoe Bay (on the Arctic Ocean) and throughout Alaska and much of western Canada, I made it a point to talk to as many people as I could about the Iridium phone. Where appropriate, I let selected people use the phone to make a demonstration phone call. I tried to understand if the governments and business activities of the north were ready for the support available via the Iridium system. My conclusion was that the market is ready. No doubt, it will take some aggressive marketing on the part of Iridium to capitalize on this opportunity. I have no idea if the Company is going to achieve this or not. However, in my opinion, the market is ready. I agree with the others who have said the military will limit their use until they can get an encrypted version of the phone. I also think the military is going to want a ruggedized, and perhaps less complex version of the phone. I believe, in time, all of these requirements will be met. Posted: 9/21/1999 7:57 pm EDT as a reply to: Msg 32267 by david_greenberg