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CONSTELLATION ASKS TO LAUNCH 46 LEOS

RESTON, Va.-Constellation Communications Inc. filed an application with the Federal Communications Commission to launch an additional 46 satellites to operate in the 2 GHz frequency bands.

The satellites will allow for high-speed digital transmission services at rates up to 28.8 kilobits-per-second, Group 3 facsimile, Internet access and other multimedia services.

CCI is one of five companies already licensed by the FCC to launch and operate a global constellation of satellites in low-earth orbit in the 1.6 GHz/2.4 GHz bands. These satellites will provide basic telephone services to users in rural areas worldwide that are not economically served by ground-based cellular or wireline facilities. The new 2 GHz satellites will complement those already licensed, enabling the provision of a wider range of services to individuals, businesses and government agencies in rural areas throughout the world.

“The strategy behind CCI’s plans to establish basic and advanced [LEO] systems is to provide a range of affordable telecommunications services to users in rural and remote areas where the potential subscriber density is too low to justify the cost of terrestrial buildout,” said Dr. Malcolm R. Curre, CCI’s chairman of the board. “CCI’s wide-area coverage from space enables it to serve end-users who are thinly scattered over wide areas.”

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