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Iridium Myanmar & Iridium buys Seat



Subject: Iridium Myanmar & Iridium buys Seattle's Claircom

Does this make Seattle-based Claircom now on the Free Burma black list
of companies doing business with Burma? Claircom bought Iriduim

Financial Times, December 24 1998. 
Iridium makes $65m purchase 
by Alan Cane, FT(UK)p. 12

Iridium, the Washington DC-based global satellite phone operator, has
bough Claircom Communications from AT&T and Rogers Cantel in a deal
valued at $65m in cash and debt.
Claircom, based in Seattle, is the second largest provider of telephone
communications to commercial aeroplanes in the US.
Its services are available through some 100,000 in-flight phones on
1,700 commercial jets, operated by airlines including American Airlines,
Northwest, South Western and Delta.
Iridium, in which Motorola of the US is the largest shareholder, is the
first of a small number of consortia to offer satelite phone services
from virtually any point on the earth's surface using a handheld phone.
It is already offering service. (phone sets have, however, been delayed
in shipping.sic)
Competitors including GlobalStar of the US and London-based ICO
Communications.
It operates a fleet of some 66 satellites in low earth orbit to relay
calls to and from earth sations.
Customers use conventional cellular systems where possible but switch
automatically to the satellite network when out of range of terrestrial
coverage.
Claircom's system will be rebranded as Iridium.
The Iridium system will be able to send and receive voice calls to both
the cockpits and cabins of commercial airliners and private aircraft.

(cut here)





TIN KYI wrote:
> 
> Wednesday December 23, 3:48 am Eastern Time
> Iridium to provide Myanmar phone service
> BANGKOK, Dec 23 (Reuters) - U.S.-based global satellite phone company
> Iridium LLC said on Wednesday it had signed an agreement with Myanmar Post
> and Telecommunications (MPT) to provide wireless communication services in
> Myanmar.
> 
> Iridium said in a statement it would be the first global mobile phone
> company to serve Myanmar.
> 
> It gave no financial details and did not say when the service would be
> estabilished.