ridium routes phone calls through space. In addition to communicating with the satellite phones in its footprint, each satellite in the constellation also maintains contact with two to four adjacent satellites, and routes data between them, to effectively create a large mesh network. There are several ground stations which link to the network through the satellites visible to them. The space-based backhaul routes outgoing phone call packets through space to one of the ground station downlinks ("feeder links"). Iridium ground stations interconnect the satellite network with land-based fixed or wireless infrastructures worldwide to improve availability.[66] Station-to-station calls from one satellite phone to another can be routed directly through space without going through a ground station. As satellites leave the area of a ground station, the routing tables are updated and packets headed for the ground station are forwarded to the next satellite just coming into view of the ground station. Communication between satellites and ground stations is at 20 and 30 GHz.[67]
Gateways are located in
Tempe, Arizona (USA)
Fairbanks, Alaska (USA)
Svalbard, Norway (Europe)
Punta Arenas, Chile (South America)[68]
The pre-bankruptcy corporate incarnation of Iridium built eleven gateways, most of which have since been closed.[69]
But that connection with the ground station fixed or wireless infrastructure. sayonara to the exclusive communications channel…