Iridium - A Global Personal Communications System

An evolution perhaps even a revolution is occurring in the way in which people are having their ability to communicate with each other extended. This revolution is fueled by the global economy of the developed nations as well as the expanding needs for communication services of the developing nations of the world. This desire for the extension of classical communication services has put a severe strain on one particular natural resource, the electromagnetic spectrum. Every country owns the same amount of this resource and though some need more than others, it cannot be traded from country to country. Thus the utilization of the spectrum has moved from the portion which is easily mined i.e. the -Low end of the spectrum to that which is more difficult to utilize -- the microwave region. Motorola has developed a system that brings the availability of wireless personal communications to every part of the globe. A key element in the implementation of this system is its ability to make microwaves, as a communications media, affordable for the average consumer. Affordability is pervasive, in that, it applies not only to the actual communication devices but to the effective and efficient use of the spectrum. The remainder of this paper will be devoted to describing this system -- called Iridium -- with attention to where the system extends the commercialization of microwave technology.