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BPL, Iridium tie up for global satellite phone services

Consortium of Indian cellular service
providers hitch onto Iridium

A Staff Writer in Bombay

BPL Mobile has announced an agreement to provide handheld satellite phone services, thanks to the deal World 1 Network, the consortium of 10 leading cellular network operators in the country, signed with Iridium India Telecom Limited.

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Announcing the tie-up, World 1 Network chairman and Hutchinson-Max Telecom Managing Director Ashwani Windlass, said that the global mobile personal communication service would help World 1 Network subscribers to communicate anywhere in the world through a mobile phone. Just one phone and one number would let the subscriber be accessible anytime, anywhere, he said. Iridium phones can also connect to laptop computers, personal digital assistants and other communications equipment.

A satellite call will cost about Rs 120 a minute for domestic calls and 20-30 per cent over the ISD rate.

World 1 Network came together in July 1996 to ensure cellular customers subscribing to different companies could connect seamlessly.

The only problem ahead seems to be a licence from the Department of Telecommunications. If that comes through, the services should be in place by September.

Iridium India Telecom Limited has provided an economical alternative for developing areas where infrastructure costs can be prohibitive.

The Iridium system consists of 66 satellites in low earth orbit, providing users with total connectivity with the world. And with a judicious blend of the networks of Iridium and terrestrial cellular providers, people can communicate across the world.

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