Discussion: View Thread

Rescue of Iridium's 66 satellites at $5 billion (Part II/Responses)

  • 1.  Rescue of Iridium's 66 satellites at $5 billion (Part II/Responses)

    Posted 04-08-2000 20:56
    <<April 8, 2000>>

    Gary Garriott <garyg@vita.org>

    Ben Hindley <ab367@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca>

    D.K. Sachdev <dsachdev@worldspace.com>

    Mr. Jim Miller <jimmsl@aol.com>

    Peter H. Rosen <Peter@creativity.net>

    David Josephson <david@josephson.com>

    Stephen G. Tom <stephen_tom@email.msn.com>

    Prof. and Mrs. Edward C. DeLand <edeland@anes.ucla.edu>

    Bruce P. Chadwick <bchadwick@mindspring.com>

    Rex Buddenberg <budden@nps.navy.mil>

    Hans Kruse <hkruse1@ohiou.edu>

    Edward Dodds <dodds@home.com>



    Dear Gary:
    ==========

    (1) ATTACHMENT I to XI are responses to my previous listserve distribution
    which was titled Rescue of Iridium's 66 satellites at $5 billion -
    April 5, 2000" which is now available at;

    <http://www.kagawa-jc.ac.jp/~steve/global-univ-2000.html>.

    Dear Colleagues listed above:
    =============================

    Many thanks for your very interesting replies.

    (2) Referring to your proposal at your web <www.vita.org/consort.htm>, it
    seems that a day workshop in Washington DC would be worthwhile endeavor.

    Dear Electronic Colleagues:
    ===========================

    (3) I strongly suggest that you read VITA's proposal A Satellite E-Mail
    Network for Developing Countries" at the above web, so that you can get
    some idea how VITA operates VITASAT.

    (4) Gary's VITA is well known to be the expert on the use of Low Earth
    Orbiting (LEO) satellites for narrow-band Internet connections with
    remote/rural areas of developing countries since 1984. They have
    received the Pioneers Award from the US Federal Communications
    Commission (FCC) in 1994. They received a FCC's operational license in
    1995. They launched a LEO satellite several years ago -- although I
    understand that a second one encountered with a launch failure.

    (5) VITA currently have a fleet of LEO satellites with a coalition of
    satellite vendors who donated excess capacity for humanitarian purposes.
    Each of the satellites is circling earth at least four times a day for
    about ten minutes of staying overhead of a site for each pass which
    complete orbit takes about 105 minutes.

    If Iridium's 66 satellites can join in the VITA's fleet, many
    remote/rural areas in developing countries (*) can have connection
    with outside world free of charge, albeit slow-speed -- aha!, when
    I started using email a quarter century ago, I used a phone
    coupler at 300 bps and I was amazed to have a new modem at 9600
    bps several years later!!

    (*) e.g., the middle of African or South American continents --
    or even 50% of Native Americans' communities in Montana does
    not have ordinary analog telephone yet!! Also, analog
    telephone networks in many localities in developing
    countries are still not adequate enough for Internet.

    (a) VITA's usage of LEO is NOT for audio -- need to THINK DIFFERENT (a
    Apple's motto -- I am an ardent user of Mac after having tested
    Windows 3.1 for a couple of months some years ago!!),

    (b) VITA's way of using LEO does not require any maintenance costs.

    (c) The LEO is used for two ways;

    1. Though the foot-print of LEO is small, VITA organizes a
    network of gateway which can downlink and connect with
    terrestrial Internet. The data is downloaded at the nearest
    gateway and sent out by the terrestrial Internet.

    2. The LEO can also be used for two-way transmission with
    ground terminals when it is overhead. This bent pipe" mode
    in which user terminals within the same footprint can
    communicate directly with each other, say, with chat mode.
    This means that, if there are more LEO satellites in VITA's
    fleet, this can be done anytime and anywhere, without
    waiting a LEO passes by overhead -- this LEO's low altitude
    (600 miles) could be an advantageous for the chat mode than
    the use of Geostationary Earth Orbiting (GEO) satellites (at
    23,000 miles in space) with 0.35 second time delay for the
    round trip of a signal.

    (6) Even though the satellites of Iridium may not be usable for broadband
    Internet yet, having reliable narrow-band Internet is the very first
    step to work with the people of remote/rural areas toward the deployment
    of the broadband Internet.

    Another example is the case of disaster. It is well known fact in
    telemedicine that email was the first to report Kobe earthquake to
    the outside world a few years ago. I felt very satisfied and
    honored when I received sincere thanks from a former Japanese
    House Representative when I mentioned of this, since I once worked
    to de-regulate the Japanese telecom policies for the use of email
    almost two decades ago. He experienced the devastated quake by
    himself in the middle of Kobe.

    Dear Gary:
    ==========

    (7) About two years ago, at your request, I tried to solicit the interest of
    NEC Corporation in Japan to mass-produce your very, very inexpensive
    transceiver (say, around $2,000/unit, if I recall correctly) with off-the-shelf components, but in vain.

    If you succeed to rescue Iridium's satellites, NEC may rekindle their
    interest.

    (8) You may firstly investigate the date of Motorola's starting dismantle
    the Iridium satellites.

    You may then write a letter to the chairman of Motorola to postpone the
    date.

    (9) You may then hold a day workshop in DC to closely investigate the
    technical capabilities of their LEO if they can be used for your VITA's
    purpose with narrow-band Internet.

    Pls particularly note Steve Tom's and Rex Buddenberg's suggestions
    (ATTACHMENT VI and IX).

    (10) Pls let me know when you decide to have a day workshop.


    Best, Tak
    ****************************************
    ATTACHMENT I

    Date: Wed, 5 Apr 2000 14:36:06 -0600 (CST)
    From: Ben Hindley <ab367@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca>
    To: Tak Utsumi <utsumi@friends-partners.org>
    cc: Gary Garriott <garyg@vita.org>,
    John Shakespear <john.shakespeare@js.pentagon.mil>,
    "Dr. Joseph N. Pelton" <ecjpelton@aol.com>,
    "Peter T. Knight" <ptknight@attglobal.net>,
    Steve Tom <stethen@teleportconsulting.com>,
    Peter Marshall <pminhindon@aol.com>, Jim Casey <jcasey@ifc.org>,
    Jim Casey <caseyja@gtlaw.com>, Demetri Heliotis <jheaps@fcc.gov>,
    "Ms. Irene Flanner" <iflanner@fcc.gov>,
    "Mr. Tony Trujillo" <tony.trujillo@intelsat.int>,
    "Mr. Myron Nordquist" <myron_nordquist@burns.senate.gov>,
    "D.K. Sachdev" <dksachdev@worldspace.com>,
    Gracia Hillman <ghillman@worldspace.org>, John Mack <jlmack@erols.com>
    Subject: Rescue of Iridium's 66 satellites at $5 billion

    Hi!

    Reference to:
    (5) The key is if the satellite can be used for narrow-band (and preferably
    for broadband) Internet -- e.g., for our Global University System with
    global broadband Internet -- If you could, please run this on your list
    and see if there is any interest from anybody. There are lots of
    humanitarian users who will benefit if Iridium can stay up there!
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Everyone, I am President of B.Hindley - H. Peace and K. Barn (ICT STORE)
    International Limited a Public Company Registered in Dar es Salaam
    Tanzania. We also have a management company in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan,
    Canada.

    We would like to be come involved in this project so that we can offer
    TeleHelath and Telemedicine, Distance Education and Internet Service via
    satellite to the People of Africa and the World. If there is any way that
    we can lend a hand on this project please let me know as soon as possible.

    Waiting for your responce:

    Ben Hindley, President
    B.Hindley - H. Peace and K. Barn (ICT STORE) International Limited
    Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
    Dar es Salaam Tanazania East Africa.
    (306) 374-0346
    201-502 Tait Crescent
    Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, S7H 5L2
    ****************************************
    ATTACHMENT II

    From: gu-l@friends-partners.org
    Date: Wed, 5 Apr 2000 17:05:03 -0400
    To: dsachdev@worldspace.com
    Cc: utsumi@friends-partners.org
    Subject: Error Condition Re: Re: Rescue of Iridium's 66 satellites at $5
    billion

    I look forward to hear if such a workshop is organized.
    Regards
    DK
    ****************************************
    ATTACHMENT III

    From: JIMMSL@aol.com
    Date: Wed, 5 Apr 2000 19:56:42 EDT
    Subject: Re: Rescue of Iridium's 66 satellites at $5 billion
    To: Gary Garriott <garyg@vita.org>,
    John Shakespeare <john.shakespeare@js.pentagon.mil>,
    Ecjpelton@aol.com,
    "Peter T. Knight" <ptknight@attglobal.net>,
    Steve Tom <stethen@teleportconsulting.com>,
    Pminhindon@aol.com,
    Jim Casey <jcasey@ifc.org>,
    Jim Casey <caseyja@gtlaw.com>,
    Demetri Heliotis <jheaps@fcc.gov>,
    "Ms. Irene Flanner" <iflanner@fcc.gov>,
    "Mr. Tony Trujillo" <tony.trujillo@intelsat.int>,
    "Mr. Myron Nordquist" <myron_nordquist@burns.senate.gov>,
    "D.K. Sachdev" <dksachdev@worldspace.com>,
    Gracia Hillman <ghillman@worldspace.org>,
    John Mack <jlmack@erols.com>,
    utsumi@columbia.edu

    Tak -

    The Irdium constellation utilizes L-band frequencies similar, but not the
    same as INMARSAT systems such as we used for GLH demonstrations in the past
    few years. A problem is their low data rate and the unique construction and
    configuration, especially on-board switching and transport optimization.
    Also, the economic value as a write-off by Motorola, et al, may be an asset
    to a non-profit entity if they contribute it to them. Then there is the
    technology and training involved in operations and maintenance plus the
    salaries of qualified engineers and techs - $3M/Month sounds very low, even
    for power and rent. There are emerging technologies that utilize existing
    satellites that provide 512Kbps with bursts to 2Mbps at $60,000 installed
    cost per LES and $6000 per month operating costs.

    I would suggest a teleconference prior to a face to face meeting to present
    the basic design and logistic elements. We need to see if we are saving the
    Edsel or saving Keiko.

    Jim Miller
    President
    SYNECTICS, Ltd.
    2 Nickerson Street, Suite 100
    Seattle, WA 98109-1652 USA

    Phone: 206-283-9420 Fax: 206-283-4538
    Mobile: 206-619-2144
    email: jimmsl@aol.com & jwm@synecticsltd.com
    website: http://synecticsltd.com
    E-Rate SPIN - 143004591
    ****************************************
    ATTACHMENT IV

    Date: Wed, 5 Apr 2000 11:53:31 -0900
    To: gu-l@friends-partners.org
    From: "V.A.R.I.O.U.S. Media" <peter@creativity.net>
    Subject: Re: Rescue of Iridium's 66 satellites at $5 billion
    Cc: Dave Warner <davew@well.com>, David Warner <davew@npac.syr.edu>,
    bill@microsoft.com (please forward), Gary Garriott <garyg@vita.org>,
    "'Tak Utsumi'" <utsumi@friends-partners.org>
    Status: RO

    Aloha,

    I've copied this to Dr. Dave Warner who is pioneering telemedicine
    (www.pulasr.org); a good application for such a network. I've added my two
    bits. Feedback?

    >From: Gary Garriott <garyg@vita.org>
    >To: "'Tak Utsumi'" <utsumi@friends-partners.org>
    >Subject: FW: Iridium
    >Date: Wed, 5 Apr 2000 09:07:47 -0400
    >
    >Hi Tak,
    >
    >I wonder if you remember the message you sent me suggesting that VITA look
    >into a sort of 'rescue mission' for Iridium. Well, I took your advice to
    heart
    >and it appears that such is possible if we can find someone with about $3
    >million/month to run it! I will try to find out what current revenues are
    >like on a monthly basis and send that along.
    >

    Bill Gates could use a lift, why don't you run it by him? lol (with
    tongue in cheek, but not biting it, cause gates would go for it :-). The
    only other person that comes to mind is D. Trump but he's not in the
    industry that could maximize the resource. IMHO.


    BTW: We are still seeking participants for "KidCast For Peace; Solutions
    For a Better World" series of multicast videoconferences on Earth Day:
    http://creativity.net/kidcast2.html. Please pass the word...


    This is a personal invitation to consider participation in Creativity
    Cafe's "KidCast For Peace; Solutions For a Better World;" a
    telecommunications activity in which kids meet (Earth Day, April 22, 2000
    is next) in videoconferences several times a year to share their heart and
    ideas for making the world a happier, healthier, and more peaceful/safer
    place. Kids (of all ages with focus on K-12) create analog and digital art,
    animation, web sites, etc. that demonstrate suggestions for improving the
    planet and its peoples. The actual KidCast For Peace is a CU-SeeMe multi
    node videocast in which kids share their work interactively with their
    peers globally. We are giving children an opportunity to tell the adults
    what to do for a change and to help shape the world they will inherit.
    Project center is in KidCast Central: http://creativity.net/kidcast2.html.
    Please participate and assist our future leaders!

    Aloha from Maui,
    -Peter-
    a concerned citizen
    KidCast Coordinator
    Founder; Creativity Cafe; a "New School for the Next Millennium"

    Peter H. Rosen
    V.A.R.I.O.U.S. Media
    140 Uwapo Rd.,#49-204
    Kihei, Maui HI 96753
    808 875-4747
    ****************************************
    ATTACHMENT V

    Subject: Iridium
    To: utsumi@columbia.edu
    Date: Wed, 5 Apr 2000 15:47:04 -0700 (PDT)

    Dear Tak,

    Very interesting collection of messages, thank you for posting to the
    VITA list. Being an inveterate scrounger I too have been scouring my
    mind for a way to reuse the system, it seems tragic to waste it. There
    comes a point however when you must look even a gift horse in the teeth
    and see whether it will run your race or not. The problem with the
    Iridium constellation is that it was made for short range, narrow
    bandwidth links, where uplink power was the determining design factor.
    You cannot get from New York to South America, for instance, because
    the orbits are too low. It would be ideal for a global *narrow-band*
    Internet, for email in the bush for instance, but not for Internet
    traffic in the tens-of-kB/sec/user range that people expect now. Even
    for that,

    Your point that the transponders are "theoretically just reflectors" is
    very easy to attack from an engineering perspective. Iridium transponders
    are not, as I understand it, simple "bent pipe" reflectors but contain
    a great deal of switching and call control logic. Your point is correct
    however if you can somehow boil down the Iridium operating protocol to a
    given bandwidth and footprint, and I have no doubt that effective digital
    data connections could be made as easily as voice calls.

    One other mode that comes to mind, for a global wireless Internet, is
    along the lines of the existing Internet services that use wide band
    Ku-band geosynchronous satellites for downlink data to the user. Most of
    these services use regular phone lines for connectivity from the user (which
    data path is presumed to be much less dense than the downlink). The
    Iridium system could provide a worldwide uplink, and a few low-cost
    Ku transponders could provide the downlink.

    Maybe you can get Bill Gates to bail it out.

    Cheers
    --
    David Josephson / Josephson Engineering / San Jose CA / david@josephson.com
    ****************************************
    ATTACHMENT VI

    From: "Stephen G. Tom" <stephen_tom@email.msn.com>
    To: <JIMMSL@aol.com>, "Gary Garriott" <garyg@vita.org>,
    "John Shakespeare" <john.shakespeare@js.pentagon.mil>,
    <Ecjpelton@aol.com>, "Peter T.Knight" <ptknight@attglobal.net>,
    "Peter Marshall" <pminhindon@aol.com>, "Jim Casey" <jcasey@ifc.org>,
    "Jim Casey" <caseyja@gtlaw.com>, "Demetri Heliotis" <jheaps@fcc.gov>,
    "Ms. Irene Flanner" <iflanner@fcc.gov>,
    "Mr. TonyTrujillo" <tony.trujillo@intelsat.int>,
    "Mr. Myron Nordquist" <myron_nordquist@burns.senate.gov>,
    "D.K. Sachdev" <dksachdev@worldspace.com>,
    "Gracia Hillman" <ghillman@worldspace.org>,
    "John Mack" <jlmack@erols.com>, "Tak Utsumi" <utsumi@columbia.edu>
    Subject: Re: Rescue of Iridium's 66 satellites at $5 billion
    Date: Wed, 5 Apr 2000 20:08:30 -0400

    Jim,

    Here is the note I sent to Tak, but couldn't forward to the rest of the
    distribution list until I received your message.

    Tak:

    I tried to "reply all" with your message and could not copy this to the rest
    of the distribution.

    Questions before anyone goes too far down this road:

    1. Do we know that time hasn't run out? If not, what is the window of
    opportunity?
    2. Is there a technical reason why it would be impractical to use the
    Iridium system for some form of distance education or humanitarian effort?
    3. What application could be implemented quickly that doesn't require
    development or manufacture of proprietary terminal equipment?
    4. No offense to John Shakespeare, have we verified the $3 million/month
    operating cost? What about the cost of replacing failing satellites?
    5. Jim Miller has questioned whether it would be practical to develop a
    "use it until it can't function" scenario. Wouldn't that incur some
    "end-of-life" scenarios that would be hard to handle?

    To my friend Bob K. Do you have any input to this discussion?

    Stephen G. Tom
    President
    Teleport Consulting Group International, L.L.C.
    525 Queen Street, Suite 200
    Alexandria, VA 22314-2512
    +1 703.548.7749, telephone
    +1 703.548.2428, FAX
    +1 800.206.1671, pager
    E-mail: stephen@teleportconsulting.com
    Visit our web site: www.teleportconsulting.com
    ****************************************
    ATTACHMENT VII

    Date: Wed, 5 Apr 2000 22:09:41 -0400
    From: edward deland <edeland@ucla.edu>
    To: utsumi@friends-partners.org
    Subject: Re: Rescue of Iridium's 66 satellites at $5 billion

    TAK: I think this is a problem of just about the
    right size for VP Al Gore, the "inventor" of the
    internet (!) and the administration's technical
    Guru.

    Edward C. DeLand, PhD
    edeland@ucla.edu
    Ph: (310) 823-7012
    Fax: (310) 823-7013
    ****************************************
    ATTACHMENT VIII

    Date: Wed, 5 Apr 2000 23:04:02 -0400
    To: bchadwick@mindspring.com
    Cc: utsumi@friends-partners.org
    Subject: Error Condition Re: Re: Rescue of Iridium's 66 satellites at $5
    billion

    Edu-Friends:

    I've been thinking about how to rescue Iridium for public purposes, but have
    concluded that it isn't practical or cost-effective. Apparently, the
    equipment only works with the fantastically expensive phones and even then can
    deliver only about 9600 baud. I expect competing companies to have cheaper,
    faster, more reliable systems up within a few years.

    The real question is how to make some of this emerging broadband available for
    public use and education in developing areas, I suppose.

    Cheers,

    Bruce P. Chadwick, Ph.D.
    Winrock International
    Team Leader, Knowledge Portal for Sustainable Development
    ****************************************
    ATTACHMENT IX

    Date: Thu, 6 Apr 00 12:12:49 EDT
    From: Rex Buddenberg <budden@nps.navy.mil>
    To: utsumi@fpwww.friends-partners.org
    Subject: [GATEWAY:248] Re: Rescue of Iridium's 66 satellites at $5 billion

    >
    >(3) I wonder if those satellites can be used for broadband Internet.
    >

    This is a worthwhile question to ask. The way you should ask the question is:

    'Can Iridium be organized as a radio-WAN? And can it do IP multicast?'


    Amplifying.

    The fact that the pipes are small (voice sized, which means you get around
    4k bits/second) diverts from the real issue. Any satellite system (or any
    RF-based system for that matter) will provide about three orders of
    magnitude less bandwidth than equivalent terrestrial WANs and LANs. For
    example, INMARSAT B 'high speed data' service provides a point-to-point
    channel of 56kpbs. At the same time, cable modem service to your house is
    providing a couple orders of magnitude more than that.
    The real issue is getting some decent efficiency out of the bandwidth
    available. The big 'aha' is to recognize that most data doesn't go just
    one place. Multicast provides the means to place the data at multiple
    destinations for the price of a single transit over each link.
    There are a great number of military and public service applications
    where the data needs to go >1 places. Weather information dissemination is
    an obvious one applicable to both areas. Additionally, when you build
    real-world systems and dirty issues like availability and survivability
    appear, you find that the world is many-many, not point-point. In short,
    the trunked channel approach (all the Big LEOs, and all the cellular
    telephone companies) is not what we want.
    The technical problems to multicast IP are largely solved at the
    network (IP/IGMP) layer. And there are practical applications that sit
    over that out in the marketplace. So we don't need to worry about that
    part. What's left, for the Iridium perspective, is whether we can organize
    a radio-WAN (hint: IP routers at the border) which can multicast within.
    Once you get this far, you see that organizing the available bandwidth
    as so many voice-sized slices is clearly not the way. (as soon as you
    discover voice-over-IP, the last reason to keep trunked systems around goes
    away). We're far better off with a single, large pipe. (Hint: note how
    many ISDN PRI pipes the phone companies sold to ISPs for router-to-router
    connections ... none). This 'single, large pipe' tends to get labeled
    'broadband', but the ability to organize a multiparty radio-WAN is the real
    problem to be solved.

    Can Iridium do this? I'm doubtful, but could be convinced otherwise.
    Globalstar, because the satellites are indeed bent pipes, could be
    organized to provide radio-WAN. But Iridium chose to put a fair chunk of
    switching (in order to make the crosslinks work) into the satellites
    themselves. Unfortunately, when you do that, Moore's Law stops on launch
    day. Particularly if they have hardwired switching fabrics and
    multiplexers which can't be changed with a software upload.

    Help?

    (sorry, the bailout kitty here is dry)

    b
    ****************************************
    ATTACHMENT X

    Date: Thu, 6 Apr 00 12:34:10 EDT
    From: hkruse1@ohiou.edu
    To: utsumi@fpwww.friends-partners.org
    Subject: [GATEWAY:249] Re: Rescue of Iridium's 66 satellites at $5 billion


    On Thu, 6 Apr 00 12:14:14 EDT Rex Buddenberg <budden@nps.navy.mil>
    wrote:

    > >(3) I wonder if those satellites can be used for broadband Internet.
    >
    > This is a worthwhile question to ask. The way you should ask the question
    is:
    >
    > 'Can Iridium be organized as a radio-WAN? And can it do IP multicast?'
    >

    I don't have a definitive answer on that, sorry. However, I have done
    a fair amount of concept design work on IP multicast for GEO
    satellites. One problem is that IP multicast is protocol layer 3, and
    most devices (like routers) have a hard time understanding hardware
    (layer 1) multicast.

    As to Iridium, the use of spot beams (which Globalstar also uses, I
    think), makes them inherently non-broadcast.

    Finally, the use of on-board processing in LEOs is not as foolish as it
    may sound; these birds have a max 4-5 year life span, so you "upgrade
    by launching". This lifespan makes it also unlikely that anyone can
    use the existing constellation (except for a brief period of time)
    without getting into the launching business; that is why the business
    model for LEOs is so difficult and dangerous.

    ----------------------
    Hans Kruse, Associate Professor, Director
    McClure School of Communication Systems Management
    Ohio University
    hkruse1@ohiou.edu 740-593-4891 voice, 740-593-4889 fax
    ****************************************
    ATTACHMENT XI

    From: "Ed Dodds" <dodds@home.com>
    To: "Tak Utsumi \(E-mail\)" <utsumi@columbia.edu>
    Subject: Question
    Date: Fri, 7 Apr 2000 08:34:12 -0500

    Tak:

    I saw your note the other day about Iridium. Have you talked to GM about
    using the Iridium satellites to deploy Eureka 147 digital radio here in the
    States to provide a revenue stream so that you can use it for GLOSAS? I keep
    writing all of the computer textbook publishers and tring to convince them
    there is an audio market for all of that content they've already
    aggregated -- they just need to convert it for corporate streaming audio and
    digital radio and wap applications. GM seems to get this.

    Ed

    dodds@home.com
    ICQ 49457096
    ****************************************
    List of Distribution

    Gary Garriott
    Director, Informatics
    Volunteers in Technical Assistance (VITA)
    1600 Wilson Blvd., Suite 500
    P.O. Box 12438
    Arlington, VA 22209-8438
    703-276-1800 X19
    Fax: 703-243-1865
    garyg@vita.org
    vita@vita.org
    ECONET: VITA
    Telex: 440192 VITAUI
    Cable: VITAINC
    www.vita.org/satvitpo.htm -- Press release on Consorcio SAT/SatelLife/VITA
    www.vita.org/consort.htm -- Press release on satellite-users coalition
    www.vita.org/slife.htm -- Press release on SatelLife-VITA

    Ben Hindley
    ICT Consultant, Distance Education Consultant
    President
    TeleMED International, Canada
    H. Peace and K. Barn (ICT STORE) International Limited
    201-502 Tait Crescent
    Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
    Canada, S7H 5L2
    (306) 374-0346
    ab367@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca

    D.K. Sachdev
    Senior Vice President
    Engineering & Operations
    Worldspace Corporation
    2400 N Street, NW
    Washington, D.C. 20037 USA
    Tel: 202 969 6000
    Direct: 202 969 6210
    Fax: 202 969 6003
    dsachdev@worldspace.com

    Mr. Jim Miller
    President
    SYNECTICS, Ltd.
    2 Nickerson Street, Suite 100
    Seattle, WA 98109-1652
    206-283-9420
    206-283-4136
    Mobile: 206-619-2144
    Fax: 206-283-4538
    Paging: 206-955-1036
    ShareVision: 206-283-4538 (call 206-283-9420 first)
    ISDN Equipped - 206-218-0027/8 (call 206-283-9420 first)
    jimmsl@aol.com
    jwm@synecticsltd.com
    http://synecticsltd.com
    E-Rate SPIN - 143004591
    74640.2214@compuserve.com

    Peter H. Rosen
    V.A.R.I.O.U.S. Media
    140 Uwapo Rd.,#49-204
    Kihei, Maui HI 96753
    808 875-4747
    Peter@creativity.net
    http://www.creativity.net/ccafe

    David Josephson
    Josephson Engineering
    San Jose CA
    david@josephson.com

    Stephen G. Tom
    President
    Teleport Consulting Group International, L.L.C.
    525 Queen Street, Suite 200
    Alexandria, VA 22314-2512
    +1 703.548.7749, telephone
    +1 703.548.2428, FAX
    +1 800.206.1671, pager
    stephen_tom@email.msn.com
    E-mail: stephen@teleportconsulting.com
    Visit our web site: www.teleportconsulting.com

    Prof. and Mrs. Edward C. DeLand
    DeLand Associates
    254 Redlands St
    Playa Del Rey, Ca 90293
    (310)823-7012
    Fax: (310) 823-7013
    edeland@anes.ucla.edu

    Bruce P. Chadwick
    Winrock International
    Team Leader, Knowledge Portal for Sustainable Development
    bchadwick@mindspring.com
    bruce@chadwick.org
    www.bruce.chadwick.org
    www.winrock.org

    Rex Buddenberg <budden@nps.navy.mil>

    Hans Kruse
    Associate Professor, Director
    McClure School of Communication Systems Management
    Ohio University
    740-593-4891 voice
    740-593-4889 fax
    hkruse1@ohiou.edu

    Edward Dodds
    Association for the Development of Religious Information Systems (ADRIS)
    PO Box 210735
    Nashville TN 37221-0735
    615-429-8744
    Fax: 508-632-0370
    dodds@home.com
    http://members.home.com/dodds
    www.ttalk.com
    **********************************************************************
    * Takeshi Utsumi, Ph.D., P.E., Chairman, GLOSAS/USA *
    * (GLObal Systems Analysis and Simulation Association in the U.S.A.) *
    * Laureate of Lord Perry Award for Excellence in Distance Education *
    * Founder of CAADE *
    * (Consortium for Affordable and Accessible Distance Education) *
    * President Emeritus and V.P. for Technology and Coordination of *
    * Global University System (GUS) *
    * 43-23 Colden Street, Flushing, NY 11355-3998, U.S.A. *
    * Tel: 718-939-0928; Fax: 718-939-0656 (day time only--prefer email) *
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    * http://www.friends-partners.org/GLOSAS/ *
    **********************************************************************