KIRKLAND, Wash.-Teledesic Corp. won a license from the Federal Communications Commission to provide two-way telecommunications services using a network of low-earth-orbit satellites, and the International Bureau issued an order authorizing the company to launch and operate the system.
The company said it will provide worldwide access to fiber-like telecommunications services such as broadband Internet access, video-conferencing and interactive multimedia. The “Internet-in-the-sky” system will link computers around the world with high-speed connections, the company said.
The license allows the company to build and launch a network as well as to use 500 megahertz of domestic radio frequency in the 28 GHz band and a corresponding 500 MHz of downlink spectrum. Teledesic said the FCC adopted a plan last July designating that spectrum for primary use by nongeostationary fixed satellite services.
The network will provide switched, broadband network connections through service partners in host countries worldwide, Teledesic said. The company’s geodesic, or “mesh,” topology consists of 840 LEO satellites operating in the Ka-band orbiting approximately 50 times closer to earth than traditional geostationary satellites.
Each satellite provides coverage over a small portion of the Earth’s surface, and each is capable of projecting multiple beams within its footprint.
“We are very pleased that the FCC has put this faith in us to deliver on a global opportunity to bring high-quality broadband communications capability to the citizens of the world,” said Craig McCaw, chairman of Teledesic.
