Overview
Iridium Satellite LLC is the only provider of truly global mobile
satellite voice and data solutions. With complete coverage of
the Earth’s oceans, airways and Polar Regions, Iridium
delivers essential services to users who need communications
access to and from remote areas where no other form of communication
is available. The company has operations in Leesburg, Virginia
where the Satellite Network Operations Center is located, and
gateway facilities in Tempe, Arizona and Oahu, Hawaii. Through
its own gateway in Hawaii, the U.S. Department of Defense relies
on Iridium for global communications capabilities. |
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History
In December 2000, a group of private investors led by Dan Colussy
organized Iridium Satellite LLC which acquired the operating
assets of the bankrupt Iridium LLC including the satellite constellation,
the terrestrial network, Iridium real property and intellectual
capital. |
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Management Team
Iridium Satellite LLC’s management team comprises seasoned
executives from the satellite and aviation industries, several
of whom were involved in the development of the original Iridium
technology and the satellite constellation’s deployment. |
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| Dan A. Colussy, Interim
Chief Executive Officer, Iridium Satellite LLC and Chairman,
Iridium Holdings LLC
Eric Morrison, Chief Financial Officer
Dannie Stamp, Chief of Operations
Michael Deutschman, Chief Counsel & Chief Administrative
Officer
Don Thoma, Executive Vice President Data Services
Greg Ewert, Executive Vice President Sales, Marketing &
Business Development
Donna Bethea-Murphy, Vice President Regulatory Engineering
Olga Madruga-Forti, Vice President Regulatory & Legal
Stuart Fankhauser, Vice President & Chief Gateway Officer
Jayesh Patel, Vice President Gateway Technical Operations
Ted O'Brien, Vice President Distribution & Market Development
Dan Mercer, Vice President Channel Development
Raymond Tan, Vice President Channel Development - Asia
Joe Pizzicaroli, Vice President Satellite & Launch Operations
David Schoen, Vice President Technology Development
Jim Hamant, Vice President Product Production & Distribution
Scott Scheimreif, Assistant Vice President Government Sales
& Service |
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Iridium System
The Iridium System is a satellite-based, wireless personal communications
network providing a robust suite of voice features to virtually
any destination anywhere on earth.
The Iridium system comprises three principal components:
the satellite network, the ground network and the Iridium
subscriber products including phones and pagers. The design
of the Iridium network allows voice and data to be routed
virtually anywhere in the world. Voice and data calls are
relayed from one satellite to another until they reach the
satellite above the Iridium Subscriber Unit (handset) and
the signal is relayed back to Earth. |
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Terrestrial and Space Based Network
The satellites are in a near-polar orbit at an altitude of 485
miles (780 km). They circle the earth once every 100 minutes
traveling at a rate of 16,832 miles per hour. Each satellite
is cross-linked to four other satellites; two satellites in
the same orbital plane and two in an adjacent plane. The ground
network is comprised of the System Control Segment and telephony
gateways used to connect into the terrestrial telephone system.
The System Control Segment is the central management component
for the Iridium system. It provides global operational support
and control services for the satellite constellation, delivers
satellite tracking data to the gateways, and performs the termination
control function of messaging services. The System Control Segment
consists of three main components: four Telemetry Tracking and
Control sites, the Operational Support Network, and the Satellite
Network Operation Center. The primary linkage between the System
Control Segment, the satellites, and the gateways is via K-Band
feeder links and cross-links throughout the satellite constellation. |
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| Gateways are the terrestrial infrastructure that provides
telephony services, messaging, and support to the network operations.
The key features of gateways are their support and management
of mobile subscribers and the interconnection of the Iridium
network to the terrestrial phone system. Gateways also provide
network management functions for their own network elements
and links.
System improvements in the satellite and handset have been
introduced, providing improved voice quality and subscriber
equipment performance. The healthy satellite constellation
is demonstrating outstanding longevity. |
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The Market
Iridium Satellite LLC enables remote communication solutions
for vertical markets that include: |
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| Aviation
Construction
Disaster Relief/Emergency
Forestry
Government
Leisure Travel
Maritime
Media & Entertainment
Military
Mining
Oil & Gas
Utilities |
