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Technology Stocks : IRID - Iridium World Communications IPO Announced! -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Herc who wrote (1596)	4/17/1999 1:22:00 PM
From: Dragonfly	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 2693

It just occurred to me that if Direct TV is offering satellite internet downloads at much faster than 56 K,then why can't IRID offer the same thing? For many reasons, mostly because DirectTV involves a "big" dish and a mobile telephony system involves a tiny antenna. Second, DirecTV is an agregate data system, whereas mobile telephony requires a circuit switched system. Finally, the data rates are relatively low, to keep the service viable. DirectTV has only a few sats, and therefore not global coverage. Iridium is a global LEO network and has many dozens of satellites. There will be a data component, but it will be very slow. Look to Skybridge or Teledesic to offer the type of service you describe in the next 5 years or so. Dragonfly