Mobile communications: global trends in the 21st century Table 5 Comparative information on the important satellite communication systems Lifetime Name Orbit Satellites (years) Services Operational Cost Handset: S3000 Iridium B-LEO V, D, F, P Nov. 1998 GlobalStar B-LEO 4 10 V, D, F, P, GPS 1999 Airtime: $1-1.20/min MEO 10 12 V,D, F, P 2000 Airtime. 3/min Teledesic Brdband Est 2005 NA Terminal: $700 SkyBridge leo Brdband 2000 Airtime: $/month Orbcomm LEO 36 D. F GP 1998 Terminal: S1000 MEO 1995 Receiver:S500-30000 MEO 1995N/A B-LEO: Big LEo-an orbital height over 1000 miles from level: V: Video services D: Data services: F: Fax service: P: Paging service: Brdband: Broadband services GPS: Global Positioning Service. In general, it seems somewhat gloomy for this industry since all terrestrial networks like phone lines and fibre optics as well as land-based wireless infrastructure have spread into almost all urbanised parts of the world leaving only few abandoned places where there is low density of population to utilise the bandwidth. How could the satellite communications survive in business when the total cost of ownership for end-users relatively high? No surprise, they cannot Based on the global market size of telecommunication in 2002. satellite communications revenues attributed to less than 5% of total global telecommunication. The following are some examples of big players in the industry who have failed to pursue the busines Iridium filed for Chapter 1l bankruptcy on Friday, 13 August 1999, but was saved by the new group of owners of Iridium Satellite in December 2000 [7] ICO Global Communications has successfully emerged from Chapter 1l bankruptcy protection following completion of a $1. 2 billion investment led by telecommunications pioneer Craig McCaw and a group of the USA and intemational investors [8 In mid-February 2002, GlobalStar filed a voluntary petition under Chapter 11 of the US Bankruptcy Code in the US Bankruptcy Court in Delaware, and the company is continuing to work with its creditors and the court to finalise a formal business plan aimed at restructuring the companys finances and allowing the newly organised company to successfully emerge from the Chapter ll process [9]Mobile communications: global trends in the 21st century 73 Table 5 Comparative information on the important satellite communication systems Name Orbit Satellites Lifetime (years) Services Operational Cost Iridium B-LEO 66 5 V, D, F, P Nov. 1998 Handset: $3000 Airtime: $1.50/min GlobalStar B-LEO 48 10 V, D, F, P, GPS 1999 Airtime: $1–1.20/min ICO MEO 10 12 V, D, F, P 2000 Handset: $700 Airtime: $0.50–3/min Teledesic Brdband LEO 288 10 Brdband Est. 2005 N/A SkyBridge Brdband LEO 80 N/A Brdband 2000 Terminal: $700 Airtime: $30–40/month Orbcomm LEO 36 4 D, F, GPS 1998 Terminal: $1000 GPS MEO 33 17 GPS 1995 Receiver: $500–30000 Glonass MEO 21 N/A GPS 1995 N/A B-LEO: Big LEO – an orbital height over 1000 miles from level; V: Video services; D: Data services; F: Fax service; P: Paging service; Brdband: Broadband services; GPS: Global Positioning Service. In general, it seems somewhat gloomy for this industry since all terrestrial networks like phone lines and fibre optics as well as land-based wireless infrastructure have spread into almost all urbanised parts of the world leaving only few abandoned places where there is low density of population to utilise the bandwidth. How could the satellite communications survive in business when the total cost of ownership for end-users is relatively high? No surprise, they cannot! Based on the global market size of telecommunication in 2002, satellite communications revenues attributed to less than 5% of total global telecommunication. The following are some examples of big players in the industry who have failed to pursue the business: • Iridium filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Friday, 13 August 1999, but was saved by the new group of owners of Iridium Satellite in December 2000 [7]. • ICO Global Communications has successfully emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection following completion of a $1.2 billion investment led by telecommunications pioneer Craig McCaw and a group of the USA and international investors [8]. • In mid-February 2002, GlobalStar filed a voluntary petition under Chapter 11 of the US Bankruptcy Code in the US Bankruptcy Court in Delaware, and the company is continuing to work with its creditors and the court to finalise a formal business plan aimed at restructuring the company’s finances and allowing the newly organised company to successfully emerge from the Chapter 11 process [9]