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Globalstar System Works By Merging
Communications Technologies
The Globalstar™ Communications System merges mobile cellular and satellite
communications technologies and standards to provide a global roaming
solution for cellular phone users. Inside any cellular service area,
a subscriber may roam to other cellular networks or switch to the
Globalstar network. |
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The Globalstar System Consists Of...
- A satellite constellation of 48 low-Earth-orbiting
(LEO) satellites in a 1414 kilometer orbit (878 miles) above the Earth;
- Multiple ground stations called "Gateways";
- The phones that communicate with the satellite (when
in Globalstar mode).
 QUALCOMM's Role: How It Ties
Together
Globalstar's constellation transmits calls from your mobile or fixed satellite
phone to a terrestrial Gateway developed by QUALCOMM and owned and operated
by the Service Provider. These calls are passed through the Gateway and
on to existing fixed and cellular telephone networks in more than 100 countries
on 6 continents.
Terrestrial Gateways are an important part of Globalstar's strategy to keep
key technology and equipment easily accessible and to integrate services
as closely as possible with existing local telephony networks. This makes
the Globalstar Communications System and its services simple to manage.
QUALCOMM, as designer and leader in the standardization and commercialization
of CDMA technology for wireless applications, supplies Globalstar L.P. and
Service Providers with:
- QUALCOMM Globalstar Satellite Phones and Products
- QUALCOMM Globalstar Gateways
"Seamless" Phone Service Coverage Is Desired
Cellular mobile phone coverage is provided by a network of transceiver
antennas clustered on transceiver towers. A network of circles is
represented by hexagons. This shows the optimal placement of towers
to eliminate "holes" in coverage (an area where mobile phone communication
cannot be achieved). |
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 In the real world, coverage holes occur.
Obstacles like hills, valleys, or man-made obstructions make the strength
of signals between the phone and the cellular antennas inadequate.
Mobile phone calls cannot be made or continued when the caller is
in one of these holes. |
Globalstar Covers The World*
Most of the world is NOT covered by cellular networks, whether in
wilderness areas, on long-haul trucking routes, or in developing nations.
A satellite phone system gives the consumer a single phone that can
be used almost anywhere, whether next door or half-way around the
world.
* Except for polar regions or areas
not currently covered by installed Gateways, including most of Greenland,
small parts of Alaska, Canada, Scandinavia, Siberia, and regions in
the Southern Hemisphere, including Antarctica and parts of South America.
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