LEESBURG, Va.-Iridium Satellite L.L.C. began shipping last week an order of 1,000 phones pursuant to a contract signed with the Defense Information Systems Agency last December. The 1,000 phones also include a secure sleeve, which will allow for encrypted communications when both parties on the conversation are using Iridium phones.
In addition, Iridium announced the commercial availability of its mobile satellite data services including dial-up connectivity and direct-Internet connections.
The data announcement came as part of a media day designed to show that the once near-dead Iridium has risen from the ashes.
While the DISA contract was seen by many as necessary to the survival of Iridium, both DISA and Iridium discounted this. They acknowledged, however, that the Department of Defense was the only Iridium customer to remain connected throughout the bankruptcy proceeding of Iridium L.L.C.
Iridium “was not a DoD program,” said Col. Tim Fong. “DoD’s proper concern was whether this deal was coming together. [We] had to demonstrate that there was a system that DoD could buy,” said Gino Picasso, Iridium chief executive officer, adding that once the bankruptcy was approved, negotiations with DoD could begin. Iridium announced the deal with DISA on Dec. 6. The contract was for $72 million for 24 months allowing for unlimited usage. This is a change from the previous contract, which was a pay-as-you-go arrangement.
Since the deal was announced, usage on the Iridium system has increased from 1,300 calls using 4,500 airtime minutes to 9,700 calls and 30,433 airtime minutes in April-the last month statistics were available.
Currently there are 4,065 handsets in operation. Users include military forces deployed in Bosnia and Kosovo and senior DoD officials while traveling around the world, among others.
There is not a concern that DISA’s increased usage will strain capacity, said Iridium Chairman Dan Colussy. “We are not worried about capacity. The limitation is at the gateway, not on the Iridium constellation,” said Colussy.
Fong agreed. Iridium “does not replace any other communications system. This is a gap filler,” he said.
The Iridium constellation consists of 66 working satellites, seven spares and a planned launch of seven additional satellites in March 2002. DoD’s gateway was built in 1998 and is located in Hawaii.
Callers using the just-released secure sleeve will set up the call using normal communications channels, once the call is connected and it is established that both are using secure phones, then a button will be pushed allowing for secure communications.
The data service announced last week by Iridium allows for connectivity of 2.4 kilobits per second while the direct-Internet service provides optimized connections to the Internet at 10 kbps independent of the public switched telephone network, said Iridium.
“For many of our target customers, the data capability has been the missing link in their remote communications plans. The ability to send and receive e-mails, data files and to conduct basic Web services, will prove invaluable for users in the field. For the first time, users will be able to access the Internet and World Wide Web from any part of the globe,” said Picasso.
In addition to the military, Iridium is targeting civilian industries such as mining, forestry and oil and gas.
The DISA contract was showcased during the press briefing along with the Airsat1 contract with Honeywell.
Honeywell is re-launching the Airsat1 program now that Iridium is viable again. As part of the re-launch, Honeywell will begin re-activating the nearly 160 private corporate jets previously equipped with Airsat1, said Iridium.
Airsat1 provides worldwide service at any altitude. Aircraft equipped with Airsat1 can communicate with contacts on the ground or with other Iridium users. The Airsat1 system is designed for permanent installation and comprises an Iridium transceiver unit, an advanced digital handset and a low-gain, top-mounted antenna.
