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Iridium(R) Satellite Announces New North American Pricing Plan

Posted on: Wednesday, 25 April 2007, 00:00 CDT

BETHESDA, Md., April 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Iridium(R) Satellite announces a new North American pricing plan that offers extremely low rates for satellite phone calls. Iridium now offers value prepaid air time packages with street prices in the $.30-40 per minute range. Iridium also is now offering larger "super discount" packages that drive prices down to below $.15 per minute.

"The new pricing packages, coupled with Iridium's worldwide coverage and recently announced Network Quality Guarantee, provide an unbeatable value combination for customers," said Matt Desch, chairman and CEO of Iridium Satellite. "Through this offer, we're pleased to reward high-volume and mission critical users who are unhappy with other services and who demand the quality associated with Iridium."

Iridium is the only mobile satellite system offering high-volume discount plans covering all of North America, including the extreme northern regions of Canada and Alaska, and the entire Caribbean, with no roaming charges.

Iridium service providers in North America have the prepaid six-month satellite phone packages available for sale. The discounts came into effect April 16, and apply to Iridium phone calls originating and terminating within the North America region. Iridium is also offering bonus airtime incentives for new subscriptions activated prior to July 1, 2007.

In February, Iridium unveiled its Network Quality Guarantee program, which promises credits of up to 100 minutes of airtime and three months of free subscription fees if the Iridium network fails to complete properly initiated voice calls from customers' new Iridium handsets.

In announcing the program, Desch commented, "Year to year, Iridium's robust satellite network has consistently maintained an unmatched record of reliability. Our connection rate for satellite calls is near perfect."

A recent Frost & Sullivan comparative analysis validated Iridium's quality performance metrics. The Frost & Sullivan study revealed that calls through the Iridium system are nearly three times more likely to be successfully connected and completed than a competitive network. The study is posted through the home page of http://www.iridium.com/.

Iridium also recently announced its "Iridium NEXT" initiative, an intensive multi-year design and development program for the next-generation satellite constellation, which will be operational by the year 2016. NEXT will provide Iridium's growing customer base continued access to the Iridium network, the largest commercial satellite constellation in the world, for their mission critical applications. In addition, NEXT will offer significantly enhanced services for Iridium customers.

About Iridium Satellite

Iridium Satellite LLC (http://www.iridium.com/) is the only provider of truly global satellite voice and data solutions with complete coverage of the earth (including oceans, airways and Polar Regions). Iridium delivers essential communications services to and from remote areas where no other form of communication is available. The Iridium constellation consists of 66 low-earth orbiting (LEO), cross-linked satellites and has multiple in-orbit spares. The constellation operates as a fully meshed network and is the largest commercial satellite constellation in the world. The Iridium service is ideally suited for industries such as maritime, aviation, government/military, emergency/humanitarian services, mining, forestry, oil and gas, heavy equipment, transportation and utilities. Iridium provides service to the U.S. Department of Defense. The company also designs, builds and sells its services, products and solutions through a worldwide network of more than 150 partners.

Iridium Satellite LLC

CONTACT: Liz DeCastro of Iridium Satellite, + 1-301-571-6257, orliz.decastro@iridium.com, or Jim Rhodes of Rhodes Communications,+1-757-451-0602, or jrhodes@rhodescomm.com, for Iridium Satellite LLC

Web site: http://www.iridium.com/

Source: PRNewswire

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