Rensin, the firm's chief technology officer, swirls his hands in the air and gets cosmic. Plus, the most fertile part of a river's soil is its bed. A team of executives is updating company general counsel Thomas Tuttle on efforts to persuade recalcitrant countries to approve use of Iridium's satellite mobile phone network within their borders. In Syria, says a colleague, an influential sheik will be sent to persuade President Hafez Assad to approve Iridium's service application. Iridium deems unacceptable.
Most corporate attorneys spend their days writing contracts and handling litigation.
But Iridium's legal team doubles as global locksmiths, prying open markets that are crucial to the world's first handheld satellite phone. The Washington area is the epicenter of the global communications satellite industry. It is home to the global Intelsat consortium, the onetime monopoly provider of satellite communications between the nations of the world. Comsat Corp., its largest owner and U.S. member, is based in Bethesda. Regulations can make or break any of these companies.