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Technology Stocks : COMS & the Ghost of USRX w/ other STUFF -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Moonray who wrote (21123)	12/5/2000 3:59:52 PM
From: DMaA	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 22053

Here's something to make you feel even better - gonna be -5 tonight here. Oddly, the grass is still green. I don't get it.

To: Moonray who wrote (21123)	12/11/2000 12:23:22 PM
From: Scrapps	Respond to of 22053

Pentagon To Bail Out Iridium Electronic News Dec 08, 2000 --- The Associated Press is reporting that the cavalry may be coming to the rescue of Iridium LLC, Motorola Inc.'s ill-fated satellite based wireless telecommunications system. The Pentagon is reportedly willing to put up $72 million to try and avert Motorola from de-orbiting the 70 satellites in the global phone and satellite paging service provider's system. The AP has also reported that the Pentagon expressed some concern about public safety as Motorola announced plans to allow the satellites to burn up in the Earth's atmosphere. Most of the satellites' hardware would be expected to burn up harmlessly upon re-entry, however there was some concern that the fuel tanks would not. The $72 million will actually come as a two-year contract for Iridium Satellite of Arnold, Md., the entity which operates the satellite system. The Pentagon will reportedly use Iridium to provide airtime for about 20,000 government workers who use hand-held satellite telephones, including military personnel. Development of the Iridium project first began in 1987 with the best intentions: the freedom to communicate anytime, anywhere. But high costs and advances in terrestrial cellular networks conspired against the company even before the first satellite-ferrying rocket left the launch pad. When the service debuted, few could justify paying $3,000 for an Iridium handset or the roughly $5 per minute service charge. Cheap cellular phones and significantly lower service costs were more attractive to business travelers, who opted to buy multiple handsets for use in the United States, Europe and Asia, rather than buy into Iridium.