International satellite operator Intelsat has sketched out plans for a new global portable phone system to be in place by 2000. The venture, called ‘Project 21’ is in direct competition to the ‘Iridium’ satellite network planned by Motorola’s consortium. Olof Lundberg, Inmarsat’s director general said that it was too early to say exactly what type of satellites would be used to provide service to the proposed tiny multi-purpose communicators, but one of the organisation’s main aims is to provide a cheaper system than Iridium, which will be based around 77 low earth orbit satellites. Total investment is likely to fall between $500m and $1,000m according to Lunberg, while the Motorola system is projected to cost a hefty $2,100m. Inmarsat hopes to reduce its cost by adapting today’s cellular technology and using existing satellites. The organisation claimed that the phones themselves will sell for less than $1,000 and call costs should be less than $1 per minute. Hoping to forestall accusations of being a copy-cat Inmarsat said that it had been working on the project for two years. The research group’s preliminary results were that a mixture of geostationary, high elliptical and low earth orbiting satellites is a promising mix to provide the service, it also recommends that the frequency spectrum allocated to satellite will have to be substantially expanded to accomodate the extra services that it forsees. Despite the year 2000 service date Inmarsat didn’t give a first launch date, unlike Iridium who’s satellites should begin going up in 1994.
