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To: djane who wrote (3506)	3/19/1999 1:28:00 AM
From: djane	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 29987

Info on I/ICO in India (via I thread) Iridium Begins Commercial Service In India (Newsbytes; 03/18/99) NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1999 MAR 18 (Newsbytes) -- By CT Mahabharat, Newsbytes. After a delay of almost four months, Iridium India Telecom Ltd., is offering global mobile personal communication service in India. Iridium, the world's first global handheld satellite phone and messaging network, was commercially available elswhere in the world starting November 1, 1998. The Indian availability of Iridium follows customs clearance from the government for the first consignment of Iridium handsets. Jaydev H. Raja, president and managing director, Iridium India Telecom, said tariff rates for the service, which were approved by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), have also been put in place. The tariff packages are divided into three groups of A, B and C category. The cost of handsets inclusive of customs duty for the A category is 195,000 rupees (Rs), Rs 235,000 for category B and Rs 275, 000 for category C. The activation fees, which is for one time, is Rs 8, 850 for all the three categories. Similarly, the monthly subscription rates is at a uniform Rs 27,500 for the three groups. For a subscriber using the Iridium system within India, the airtime charges for A is Rs 195 per minute, while for B it is Rs 75 a minute for the first 500 minutes and Rs 195 a minute thereafter. For category C, it is Rs 65 per minute for the first 100 minutes and Rs 195 per minute thereafter. Raja informed that for international calls, Iridium has grouped all countries into 14 zones. Here the cost per minute of a call takes into account the type of call, location, duration, use of satellite network or cellular mode and use of Iridium intercellular roaming facilities. "There will be no incoming call charges for an Iridium subscriber. However, callers dialling an Iridium subscriber from India within the country would be charged a flat rate of Rs 150 per minute," he said. Though Iridium India had obtained the provisional operating licence to offer its service in India, it could not start them in November -- primarily because of the delay in receiving the licence to import handsets and get customs clearance. As for ICO Global Communications, which recently formalized an agreement with VSNL to set up a joint venture for introducing its services in India in the third quarter of 2000, VSNL is believed to be roping in BPL Group and Bharti Enterprises as equity partners in the venture. Reported by Newsbytes News Network, newsbytes.com -0- This article was sent to you by an Inquisit subscriber who thinks you may be interested in subscribing to our service. To find out more about Inquisit, or to sign up for a free trial subscription, visit us at inquisit.com. Delivered via the Inquisit(TM) business intelligence service. All articles Copyright 1998 by their respective source(s); all rights reserved.

To: djane who wrote (3506)	3/19/1999 1:31:00 AM
From: djane	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 29987

IRIDIUM PROVIDES GLOBAL COMMUNICATION FOR MILITARY PERSONNEL (via I* thread) (Space Business; 03/18/99) Mar. 18, 1999 (SPACE BUSINESS NEWS, Vol. 17, No. 6 via COMTEX) -- What seemed to be an unachievable communication goal soon will be a reality for the commercial sector. Motorola Inc.'s [MOT] service provider business, Motorola Worldwide Information Network Services (M- WINS), has been certified to provide the Defense Department (DoD) with mobile Iridium LLC [IRIDF] voice and paging services by the end of the year. This agreement solidifies the ability that the commercial sector can work with DoD in meeting its needs in secure communications (SBN, Feb. 17). "We sat down with the military early on when we were designing our system and DoD elected to have their own gateway within the Iridium Network," said Ted O'Brien, vice president of vertical markets for Iridium. "They brought their needs to the table early on and were at the core of the design phase. Together, we created a system that met their needs," he added. From mission pilot to naval captain or U.N peacekeeper to field surgeon, military communication will be channeled through the Hawaiian gateway and obtained through the Defense Information Systems Agency(DISA). The six-year contract, estimated at around $100 million, includes DoD's dedicated gateway within the Iridium network, some infrastructure, handsets and airtime. Once the agreement is final, a voice privacy module will be added to the 638 commercial Motorola handsets ordered. The enhanced handset will feature, among other things: Low power out/directional communication path for low probability of intercept, detection and jamming; weather-resistant hardware compliant with MILSTD 810; and cross-protocol roaming. Lt. Col. Harvey Leister, USAF said each handset costs $3,000 and the security module is estimated to be around the same price. "We went with Motorola because they met our objective goals: global coverage including polar regions, voice privacy and providing hand-held hardware, " he said. Motorola's features provided the EMSS military capabilities expected by DoD when looking toward using commercial services. Military personnel will use the system just as civilians use it. Soldiers, sailors and peacekeepers will buy the service just as they would if purchasing a personal mobile phone service. The significant difference, and attractive client element in the agreement, lies in the billing process. Motorola is providing a bill consolidation clause, having the personnel's respective command pay the phone bill. Ron Taylor, vice president and general manager of Motorola Space Systems and Services Division, said dealing with DoD's acquisition reform in merging this type of intellectual property to his company's commercial service proved to be challenging. Likewise Motorola remained flexible as plans went underway even though they anticipated an adequate time frame for the project. Taylor said they kept "internal communication" lines open, answered all of DoD's questions and provided support from beginning to end. This proved to be key in establishing a successful partnership. A significant challenge, met by both Motorola and DoD in this agreement, in is network control during times of military conflict. "We are treating this as a commercial system and accept the limitations of control refusal should it happen," said Leister, adding DoD will use its other systems. DoD views this gateway as one more alternative venue at its disposal that meets the military needs. DISA currently is identifying requirements and studying the capabilities and limitations of a deployable MSS gateway to augment secure EMSS communications. Motorola hopes to grow its relationship with DoD through future ventures, replicating what worked through this agreement model. (Iridium, 202/326-5600; Motorola, 602/331-3662; DISA, 703/607- 6048.) -0- Copyright Phillips Publishing, Inc. This article was sent to you by an Inquisit subscriber who thinks you may be interested in subscribing to our service. To find out more about Inquisit, or to sign up for a free trial subscription, visit us at inquisit.com. Delivered via the Inquisit(TM) business intelligence service. All articles Copyright 1998 by their respective source(s); all rights reserved.