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The Iridium system was designed to be accessed by small handheld phones, the size of a cell phone. While "the weight of a typical cell phone in the early 1990s was 10.5 ounces" [6] (300 grams) Advertising Age wrote in mid 1999 that "when its phone debuted, weighing 1 pound (453 grams) and costing $3,000, it was viewed as both unwieldly and expensive."
Iridium Communications satellite phones use frequencies between 1616 and 1626.5 MHz [4] to communicate with the satellites. Iridium Communications 2-way messaging service Snapdragon Satellite will utilize frequencies in the L Band as well. Inmarsat and Ligado Networks (formerly LightSquared) terminals use frequencies between 1525 and 1646.5 MHz.
Iridium Communications Inc. (formerly Iridium Satellite LLC) is a publicly traded American company headquartered in McLean, Virginia, United States. Iridium operates the Iridium satellite constellation , a system of 80 satellites: 66 are active satellites and the remaining fourteen function as in-orbit spares. [ 2 ]
Most commercial voice and some data mobile satellite services are provided by systems operating in the L-band by Iridium, Inmarsat, Globalstar and Thuraya.The L-band spectrum allocated for MSS is between 1.5 and 2.5 GHz, with the upper portion often referred to as the S-band.
Leveraging upgraded satellite constellation, the new broadband service offering is likely to fortify Iridium's (IRDM) market presence with improved maritime and land-mobile applications.
Operating at lower frequency and lower power than DBS, FSS satellites require a much larger dish for reception (3 to 8 feet (1 to 2.5 m) in diameter for K u band, and 12 feet (3.6 m) or larger for C band).
[39] [40] The satellite-to-phone services use L band frequencies, which are compatible with most modern handsets. [41] [42] However, due to the antenna limitations in the conventional phones, in the early stages of implementation satellite connectivity is limited to satellite messaging and satellite emergency services. [43] [44]
INMARSAT and Iridium frequency bands abut each other at 1626.5 MHz thus each satcom radio has the ability to interfere with the other. Usually, the far more powerful INMARSAT radio disrupts the Iridium radio up to 10–800 m (33–2,625 ft) away.