An introduction to the Iridium(R) system

This paper presents an overview of the Iridium(R) system. The Iridium system is owned and operated by Iridium LLC, and forms the technological 'backbone' of the world's first worldwide telephone company. The paper details the background and history of the system's development phase. The technology that has been developed is then discussed, along with an overview of the telephony services offered to the user.