[109766] in Cypherpunks
Re: LEO Satellites
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Declan McCullagh)
Sat Apr 3 15:34:31 1999
Date: Sat, 03 Apr 1999 15:22:22 -0500
To: Ryan Lackey <ryan@venona.com>, cypherpunks@algebra.com
From: Declan McCullagh <declan@well.com>
Cc: shamrock@netcom.com
In-Reply-To: <19990403134758.I27979@arianrhod.systemics.ai>
Reply-To: Declan McCullagh <declan@well.com>
At 01:47 PM 4-3-99 -0400, Ryan Lackey wrote:
>I also find several of them scary as they require tracking user-stations
>on the ground for incoming transmissions. I'd prefer something like
>a global pager, which broadcasts on all transmitters brief encrypted
>pages, but that would get *expensive*. Being able to localize someone
>to an Iridium cell or subcell would be...useful to the wrong people.
I believe this is possible within a <5 mile radius under the current
Iridium system. I came across this when I was writing my Time mag sat cover
story and would have to go into my notes to confirm details. But I believe
the stat came from Iridium's CEO, who has recently departed in a move that
does not bode well for the company.
-Declan
