The contract has a potential value of $219 million over a three-year period ending Mar. 31, 2002. Motorola will provide the service provisioning of the satellite products through its U.S. government-dedicated Iridium gateway in Hawaii.

M-WINS, a business division of Motorola's Space Systems and Services Division, will provide U.S. government agencies with Motorola satellite portable handsets, satellite pagers, accessories and an annual usage of up to 28 million airtime minutes. Secure satellite portable handsets are currently under development by Motorola. Iridium-related products and services can be ordered through the DISA's Defense Information Technology Contracting Organization.

"We're very pleased with the U.S. Government's choice in selecting the Iridium system," said Ron Taylor, vice president and general manager of Motorola's Space Systems and Services Division. "The government's use of commercial technology is very encouraging and we look forward to developing applications to maximize the value of this global personal communication system."

Once prospective users have determined their communication needs (depending on their unique applications) and ordered the necessary hardware, Motorola will provision the services on its U.S. Government-dedicated gateway. M-WINS can assist users in determining their requirements for hardware and service and, if necessary, offer customized communications solutions. M-WINS customers will receive global customer care support, technical assistance and access to the most current product releases.

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