www.att.com/press/0394/940321.pca.html -> www.att.com/news/0394/940321.pca.html
NEWS Release Editor's note: This release was issued by Teledesic Corp. FOR RELEASE MONDAY, MARCH 21, 1994 McCaw and Gates propose global low-orbit satellite system KIRKLAND, Wash. The company seeks to forge a global partnership of service providers, manufacturers, governments and international agencies to create a "Global Internet" that would bring the information revolution to people who could not be served economically through existing technologies. In an application filed with the Federal Communications Commission, Teledesic proposed a network that would provide for the delivery of an array of services -- ranging from high-quality voice channels to broadband channels supporting videoconferencing, interactive multimedia and real-time two-way digital data flow -- via a global network of 840 low-Earth orbit satellites. Gates, pioneers in the telecommunications and computing industries, are the company's principal shareholders. He commented: "Economic growth and human affairs have come to rely on good communications. Today, the costs to bring modern communications to poor and remote areas is so high that many of the world's people can't participate in our global community. Universal service has always been central to this country's telecommunications policy. There is an opportunity now to broaden this vision to include all of the world's citizens. Achieving that goal will require a broad cooperative effort. Rather, it will provide an open network for the delivery of such services by others. The Teledesic Network will enable local telephone exchanges and telecommunications authorities in host countries to cost-effectively modernize existing communications systems and bring affordable access to rural and remote locations. Ground-based gateways will enable service providers to offer seamless links to other wireline and wireless networks. The ability to deliver advanced information services at reasonable costs, regardless of location, is what distinguishes the Teledesic Network from other existing or proposed advanced communications systems. Its low orbit (about 435 miles) prevents the signal delays inherent in the use of conventional geostationary communication satellites which operate at an altitude 50 times higher than that of the Teledesic Network. With transmission times comparable to optic fiber, the Teledesic Network is uniquely suited to time-sensitive, high data rate applications, such as videoconferencing, medical imaging and interactive multimedia. The network is not vulnerable to natural disasters, allowing it to serve as a vital lifeline providing emergency communications for hospitals and other facilities now dependent on terrestrial systems. The Teledesic Network utilizes technology that draws in part on work done in NASA's commercial satellite communications program, and has undergone a design audit by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Like the Teledesic Network, "Brilliant Pebbles" was conceived as an orbiting global constellation of 1,000 small, advanced, semi-autonomous, inter-connected satellites. Design, construction, and deployment costs are estimated at $9 billion. The Teledesic Network represents the first time that satellites and their associated subsystems will be designed and built in quantities large enough to be mass produced and tested, yielding substantial economies of scale. To minimize launch costs and scheduling constraints, Teledesic's satellites will be compatible with more than 20 launch systems around the world and will be self-stacking so that several satellites can be deployed by a single launch vehicle.
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