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Teledesic Abandons Broadband Project, Returns License

By Staff Writer | July 8, 2003

      Teledesic LLC‘s one-time plan to launch a $10 billion constellation of satellites to provide broadband services has been scaled back over the years and now appears to have ended, after the startup recently chose to return its spectrum license to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

      Licensed by the FCC to provide broadband services in the 28.6-29.1 GHz and 18.8-19.3 GHz bands using a non-geostationary satellite system, Teledesic was considered impractical from the outset by many skeptics. The brainchild of telecommunications pioneer Craig McCaw, Teledesic was intended to provide high-speed “broadband in the sky” to remote parts of the world that lacked alternatives.

      Instead, Teledesic has surrendered its license to build the satellite constellation and asked the FCC to dismiss its related application to modify the license.

      For more on this story, see the July 21 issue of SATELLITE NEWS. To subscribe to PBI’s satellite newsletters, check out our Web site at http://www.telecomweb.com/catalog.