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Iridium
Calling the Right Customers
In the late 1990s, Motorola provided the initial funding and technology for the first consumer satellite-phone network. Iridium service launched in 1998 but filed for bankruptcy in 1999. Relaunched in 2001 and funded by private investors, Iridium now targets industries whose workers need phone service far from cellular towers— the military, aviation, forestry, and utilities, among others. And it's profitable. In 2006, the private company saw $54 million in profits and saw the number of subscribers grow 26% (to 180,000).
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