Legal implications of mobile communication systems in low earth orbits (LEOs)

The world of telecommunications has dramatically evolved these last few years. With the wind of liberalization blowing, private companies are playing a new role in an area where monopolistic public entities had always imposed their rules. New technologies are now opening broad perspectives which were even not forecast a few years ago. In only ten years, mobile communication systems have witnessed three different technologies and are now integrating the latest concept, satellite mobile communications called S-PCS (Satellite Personal Communication Systems, which is the faculty of being contacted at anytime, anywhere).;New players are emerging from the United States and tend to impose their predominance to the world. With the award of a licence to operate by the Federal Communications Commission to them, three US companies have gained a headstart, which only one non-US company, Inmarsat ICO, seems capable to challenge. However, in order to achieve the global communications era of S-PCS, they will have to overcome implementation barriers such as the authorization to operate on a worldwide basis.;Countries are not ready yet to relinquish their sovereignty on telecommunications and each company will have to be licensed in each country to be able to provide their service.;If they can implement these new technologies, the new systems will definitely dominate the international mobile communication era for the next ten years.