Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

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

To: Herc who wrote (1661)	4/23/1999 11:40:00 PM
From: CommSatMan	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 2693

The system supports paging and will support fax and data. However, the data rates are pretty low, 2400 baud. The system is patterned after GSM and the communications are narrow band, so there is no chance that they could support wide bandwith applications like video conferencing or internet access. Hope this helps. CSM

To: Herc who wrote (1661)	4/24/1999 12:20:00 AM
From: Dragonfly	Respond to of 2693

They could come down on their pricing, but not too much. There's no reason to, though, as demand outstips supply. In fact, that's the problem- the supply of handsets isn't enough to meet demand. That this fact eludes the shorts on this board is not surprising. I'm sure their counterparts are telling Boeing investers on the Boeing board that Boeing is gonna go under cause they can't supply planes fast enough. The satellites are designed for a specific use Herc. They cannot really be used for anything else. It would be possible to make a 9600 bps handset for data, and therefore you do have internet in the sky, but at $3 a minute, it isn't worth it. They don't just relay calls-- the sats are a complete network in the sky. In other words if I call you using the sat phone and you have a sat phone the signal never hits the ground until it hits your phone. Goes from me to the sat to another sat etc until it gets to the sat that is talking to your phone. Dragonfly