Globalstar USA Completes Final Gateway

The end of construction on the High River, Alberta, Canada gateway marks the completion of the ground stations serving the United States and Canada on the Globalstar system. The two other gateways are located in Clifton, TX, and Smiths Falls, Ontario.

Gateways are an integral part of the carrier's ground segment. Each gateway receives signals from orbiting satellites, processes calls, and switches signals to the appropriate landline or cellular network. Strong encryption helps ensure voice and signaling security for each transmission.

The gateways are owned and managed by the company's local and regional service providers around the world. In the United States, Globalstar USA, an indirect subsidiary of Vodafone AirTouch Plc, owns and operates the gateway in Clifton, TX. In Canada, Globalstar Canada, a partnership of Canadian Satellite Communications (Cancom), Loral Space & Communications and Vodafone Airtouch Plc., owns and operates the gateways in High River, Alberta and Smiths Falls, Ontario.

The North American gateways cover the following geographic areas:

• High River, Alberta covers Western Canada and the Northwestern United States.
  
• Smiths Falls, Ontario covers Eastern Canada and the Northeastern United States.
  
• Clifton, TX covers the United States.

Edited by Ellen Jensen