Ex-Bin Laden Group Company wins Phone Contract in Iraq

In 1998, Hasan bin Laden served as a director of the Iridium Middle East Corp.
Iridium currently provides service to the U.S. Department of Defense under a multi-year contract
Voice and Data Satellites operated by The Boeing Company

Albawaba.com -August04 ,2003

Israeli firm wins public telephone contract in Iraq

Iridium Satellite Israel is supplying Iraq with public telephones worth four to five million dollars. The global satellite voice and data communication provider was authorized last month by the office of the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) to sell its mobile satellite communications services, subscriber terminals, and related equipment in Iraq.

According to CEO of Iridium Satellite Israel Ami Schneider, the order was placed by a Jordanian company, reported Globes. The company also plans to market several thousands of mobile telephones in Iraq.

Israel’s Minister of Finance Benjamin Netanyahu signed a general permit late last month authorizing trade with Iraq. The new agreement normalizes commercial and financial ties between the two countries, marking the Jewish state’s recognition of Iraq as a hostile-free nation.

Israeli companies can now trade and invest in Iraq without facing any sanctions from the government. A group of Israeli industrial representatives reportedly made a trip to Baghdad this past June in order to scope out business opportunities related to the reconstruction effort.

Iridium Satellite Israel is a subsidiary of the privately held corporation Iridium Satellite. The company acquired the assets of the Iridium company in December of2000 . It is a provider of global satellite voice and data solutions with complete coverage of the earth. Through a constellation of 66low-earth orbiting (LEO) satellites operated by the Boeing Company, Iridium delivers communication services to and from remote areas where no other form of communication is available.

Iridium currently provides service to the US Department of Defense under a multi-year contract. Iridium Satellite Israel is owned by Iridium Satellite Solutions' regional operators in Turkey, Greece, Cyprus, Eastern Europe, and East Africa, and a group of investors headed by Schneider.

...Iridium Satellite Solutions revived Iridium Satellite (Israel) after redesigning its satellite network for civilian use. Iridium Satellite (Israel)'s owners include Iridium Satellite Solutions' regional operators in Turkey, Greece, Cyprus, Eastern Europe, and East Africa, and a group of investors headed by Schneider.

Iridium Satellite (Israel) recently won a Kenya government tender to provide mobile satellite communications, and was the main communications provider for Kenya's 2002 elections and the November 2002 terrorist attacks in Mombasa. Schneider told "Globes" that the company was negotiating with five African governments to provide satellite communications.

Iridium Satellite Solutions provides a satellite communications network and telephones for voice and data communications, SMS, Internet, and e-mail between any locations in the world. The network comprises 66 satellites launched in 1997-98 to 780 km in low-earth orbit.

Iridium filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the US in 1998. A group of investors bought the company a year later for a low sum and rehabilitated it.

Flashback: Do bin Ladens benefit financially from attack?

worldnetdaily.com -September 2001

With normal communications methods crippled since the attack on the World Trade Center, a previously under-achieving satellite-based phone system linked with Osama bin Laden's family is, ironically, experiencing a boom in business.

Iridium telephones are suddenly in high demand, particularly in rescue efforts in New York and Washington.

While Iridium is a $5 billion business, the satellite phone system is a technological achievement that has, until now, been regarded as something of a joke in the telecommunications industry due to lack of consumer interest.

Little known, however, is the fact that bin Laden's brother, at least once, served as a director of the U.S. telecommunications company backed by Motorola.

As late as three years ago, Hasan bin Laden served as a director of the Iridium Middle East Corp. subsidiary, reported the New York Daily News. The Saudi bin Laden Group, the family's investment arm, has also reportedly invested in the global phone link firm.

A spokesman for the company denied, at that time, that the bin Laden Group and Hasan bin Laden had any financial or professional connection with Osama bin Laden, who even then was wanted on terrorism charges. The bin Laden family has claimed to have severed all ties with Osama after his role in masterminding the U.S. Embassy bombings in East Africa in 1998.

"Our traffic went up significantly (after last Tuesday) and probably will continue that way until the networks are restored," D. D'Ambrosio, executive vice president for business development at Iridium Satellite LLC in Leesburg, Va., told the Arizona Republic.

The company, which was formed last year to buy the Arizona-developed system out of bankruptcy, maintains one of its three global gateways in Tempe, and it relies on Motorola Inc.'s Scottsdale-based Integrated Information Systems Group to service its government users.

Iridium's ability to bypass cell-phone towers and land-based telephone lines came in handy after terrorists rammed planes into New York's World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Cellular phone service in lower Manhattan failed when the towers that transmit signals came crashing down along with the World Trade Center buildings. Land lines proved useless after authorities shut off utilities to the area. In Washington, cell-phone circuits were simply overloaded with panicked residents' calls.

Iridium works through a system of 66 satellites circling 485 miles above the Earth.

The bin Laden family fortune has been estimated at $5 billion from its vast contracting and construction enterprises. Osama bin Laden's personal fortune is valued at $300 million.

...Iridium Satellite LLC, a privately held company, is the successor to the bankrupt, delisted Iridium LLC. Iridium Satellite won a two-year contract in December to continue Defense Department service and launched commercial service in April. The company has distributed about 20,000 units so far, according to officials of the company.

About Iridium Satellite LLC

iridium.com

Iridium Satellite LLC is the only provider of truly global satellite voice and data solutions with complete coverage of the earth (including oceans, airways and Polar Regions). Through a constellation of 66 low-earth orbiting (LEO) satellites operated by The Boeing Company, Iridium delivers essential communications services to and from remote areas where no other form of communication is available. The service is ideally suited for industries such as maritime, aviation, government/military, emergency/humanitarian services, mining, forestry, oil & gas and heavy construction. Iridium currently provides service to the U.S. Department of Defense under a multi-year contract. Iridium works with more than 35 seasoned service partners to sell and support the service globally.

On July 22, Washington Business Journal reported about "Iridium to sell satellite phones in Iraq":

Iridium Satellite, whose satellite phones already are being used by its Department of Defense and foreign customers working in Iraq, has permission to begin selling its service to Iraqi customers.

The McLean-based company says it has received approval by the Coalition Provisional Authority, the current governing authority in Iraq, and the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, to sell its phones, subscriber terminals and other services.

...And Baghdad soon is getting wireless roaming service. The U.S.-led administration is taking bids from wireless providers, considered one of the most lucrative contracts. Mobile phone roaming was banned under Saddam Hussein's government.

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