Satellite Phone System Troubles
If you’re out in a truly remote location, especially at one of the poles, your options for connectivity are limited. First, it probably isn’t wired. Second, geosynchronous communications satellite orbit approximately 36,000 kilometers (22,300 miles) above the equator. This means that once you get to the extreme northern or southern latitudes, your options includes geo satcoms in inclined orbits and low-earth orbit satellites (LEOs). The two leaders in this field are Iridium and Globalstar.
Iridium had their financial troubles years ago and has since recovered, thanks in part to the U.S. Department of Defense. When Iridium went into bankruptcy, it was the DoD that realized they needed Iridium’s network for diversity. In this context, the word “diversity” means a diverse path of communications. Today, a restructured Iridium is holding its own.
Globalstar’s prospects have taken a turn for the worse, as we read in the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal:
Globalstar Inc. said Tuesday its satellite amplifiers are wearing out faster than expected threatening its ability to support two-way communications by as early as 2008.
Milpitas-based Globalstar (NASDAQ:GSAT) said it is trying to launch its next generation of satellites in 2009. In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the company said that its amplifiers are degrading faster than expected, and it may not be able to fix the problem in time.
The problem may be linked to radiation exposure, Globalstar said.
Globalstar, which went public in November, saw its shares drop almost 26 percent to $10.75 in midday trading. The stock has traded between $12.45 and $17.68.
Concerned yet? Read their Form 8-K filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and you’ll find this:
As previously disclosed in the Company’s public filings, a number of its satellites have experienced various anomalies over time, one of which is a degradation in the performance of the solid-state power amplifiers of the S-band communications antenna. The S-band antenna provides the downlink from the satellite to a subscriber’s phone or data terminal. Degraded performance of the S-band antenna reduces the quality of two-way voice and data communication between the affected satellites and the subscriber and may reduce the duration of a call. If the S-band antenna on a satellite ceases to function entirely, two-way communication is impossible over that satellite, but not necessarily over the constellation as a whole. The root cause of the degradation in performance of the amplifiers is unknown, although the Company believes it may result from irradiation of the satellites in orbit.
The S-band antenna amplifier degradation does not affect adversely the Company’s one-way “Simplex” data transmission services, which utilize only the L-band uplink from a subscriber’s “Simplex” terminal to the satellites.
To date, the Company has managed the degradation of the S-band antenna amplifiers in various technical ways, as well as by placing into service spare satellites already in orbit and moving unimpaired satellites to key orbital positions. To maintain the highest possible capacity and best possible quality of service in light of this problem and to prepare for the integration of the eight satellites to be launched in 2007, on February 2, 2007, the Company completed the reconfiguration of its satellite constellation to combine two different “Walker” configurations, which continue to operate as a single constellation of 40 satellites plus in-orbit spares. When launched, the eight satellites will be utilized to replenish the constellation over time as necessary until the second generation satellites are available for service, which the Company currently projects will be in late 2009.
Fortunately, they’ll be using Inmarsat’s BGAN service at the upcoming Baffin Island expedition, along with Globalstar. Sir Richard Branson, his son Sam and Ed Viesturs will join the team on the last leg of the journey, from late April to the end of the expedition in May 2007.
