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And Globalstar's network has been in a variety of decays ever since. There were periods of time that the Globalstar network was literally requiring you to use

And Globalstar's network has been in a variety of decays ever since. There were periods of time that the Globalstar network was literally requiring you to use a "call times tool" to determine the paltry 10 to 20 minute windows at a time every hour you could even get a call out on the system. They were so desperate to keep customers that you could get a satphone for a whole $40 a month - with unlimited! calling. They then, finally, a few years back, launched their Sat-Fi2 service. Instead of using bent-pipe CDMA, they decided to use bent-pipe UMTS. As a Sat-Fi2 customer I can assure you I never got a working voice call, and barely working data. Globalstar was so impressed with their own technology they killed off this "next generation" service. Now to this day, they stopped selling satellite phones (while still allowing activation), dropped every single reference to the Sat-Fi and Sat-Fi2, and are pushing hard on their simplex burst data services.

GeekyBear 4y ago
> Globalstar's network has been in a variety of decays >TAMPA, Fla. — Globalstar has signed a term sheet with a “large, global customer” to start deploying some of its spectrum for terrestrial use “in the U.S. and beyond,” the satellite operator said May 5. The operator said Feb. 24 it picked MDA and Rocket Lab to supply a set of 17 satellites to replenish its constellation after a “potential customer” agreed to fund most of the $327 million project. The agreement includes an option for up to nine additional satellites at $11.4 million each. https://spacenews.com/globalstar-agrees-terms-with-global-customer-for-terrestrial-connectivity/ https://spacenews.com/globalstar-agrees-terms-with-global-cu... A secret customer fronting large amounts of money to enable goods or services they want to offer is certainly in keeping with how Apple operates.
- kylehotchkiss 4y ago
  $300mil is the cost of a widebody jet or two, that’s pretty reasonable for almost a constellation of satellites

GeekyBear 4y ago

> Globalstar's network has been in a variety of decays >TAMPA, Fla. — Globalstar has signed a term sheet with a “large, global customer” to start deploying some of its spectrum for terrestrial use “in the U.S. and beyond,” the satellite operator said May 5. The operator said Feb. 24 it picked MDA and Rocket Lab to supply a set of 17 satellites to replenish its constellation after a “potential customer” agreed to fund most of the $327 million project. The agreement includes an option for up to nine additional satellites at $11.4 million each. https://spacenews.com/globalstar-agrees-terms-with-global-customer-for-terrestrial-connectivity/ https://spacenews.com/globalstar-agrees-terms-with-global-cu... A secret customer fronting large amounts of money to enable goods or services they want to offer is certainly in keeping with how Apple operates.

kylehotchkiss 4y ago
$300mil is the cost of a widebody jet or two, that’s pretty reasonable for almost a constellation of satellites