Chapter 143: NATO Joins the Iridium Program

Eva's team decided to use NATO as a breakthrough in the European market, and the plan was quickly approved by the board of directors, and with the strong connections of the shareholders behind Iridium, the NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, agreed to approach Iridium to explore cooperation in the field of military satellite communications.

So far, the satellite network in North America has been basically completed and is currently in the internal testing stage, while the satellite network in Europe has not yet been launched, and Eva has consulted the Pentagon on the Iridium system, and according to the feedback from the other side, the Iridium system can basically meet the needs of the Pentagon. This feedback reassured Eva's heart.

So Eva took her team to NATO headquarters in Brussels to explain the importance of the Iridium program to the top leadership of the Allied forces. When Eva landed at the Brussels airport with her team, she got into a NATO-provided vehicle through the business channel and stayed in the accommodation arranged by the other party.

NATO and Iridium should not want to reveal anything to the outside world until the results of this contact are available, so the meeting between the two sides was held in secret. Eva felt that this arrangement was exactly what she wanted, because if the news leaked, the local telecom operators in Europe would definitely not let Eva's plan succeed easily.

After a day's rest, the two sides quickly sat down together. Eva first gave the NATO side a detailed set of information about the Iridium program. It then provided a Pentagon evaluation report on the Iridium system that is currently in operation. In this report, the Pentagon gave the Iridium system a very high rating.

The NATO command looked at the assessment report, and they looked at each other. secretly made his own little calculations in his heart. This report has already explained the attitude of the Pentagon, that is, the Iridium program has become a military communications satellite system promoted by the Pentagon. As allies of the United States, Western European countries must be consistent with the United States in everything, and this time, it seems that the satellite communication system must also adopt American standards.

Representatives of Belgium, Luxembourg and other countries in NATO looked at each other, and then nodded to each other, and everything was silent. As for these countries, they do not have the ability to develop their own satellite communication systems, and because of the limitations of geopolitics and national strength, these countries also do not have the courage to say no to the United States. The red giant of the East has always been their lingering nightmare. In this case, what can the Americans have to overturn what they have decided, so it is better to agree, and it is said that the Iridium system is dual-use, and this system can also provide communication services for domestic civil aviation and ships, so it seems that these countries only need to spend a little defense budget. With so many benefits, it's a great deal.

But for such old capitalist countries as the Federal Republic of Germany, Great Britain, Italy. These countries are reluctant to give up developing their own satellite communication systems, because they always want to monopolize the European communications market. So, a few years ago, they had planned to work with France and Spain on a European wireless communication solution, but all this was interrupted by a brutal murder.

"I think we in Europe should probably adopt our own military satellite communication system, and we in the Federal Republic of Germany have already made a breakthrough in this area, as long as it takes time to ......"

"Do we have to wait for a technological breakthrough in your country before we can adopt a new satellite communication system? We would like to wait, will the Soviets give us time? NATO Commander Exit retorted that as the supreme commander of the Allied Forces, NATO commanders have always been Americans, and since they are Americans, safeguarding the interests of their own countries certainly comes first. And this time, the Pentagon already has an opinion on Iridium's entry into Europe, that is, to follow the opportunity of Iridium's entry into Europe, and take the opportunity to control the military communication system of European allies, so as to grasp the movements of allies from intelligence.

The representatives of the Federal Republic of Germany no longer spoke, and within NATO, the position of the Federal Republic of Germany has always been awkward, since they were defeated countries in the Second World War. Although decades have passed since the war, countries still have a grudge against Germany. Therefore, at NATO meetings, the representatives of the Federal Republic of Germany have never spoken hard.

The British have always followed in the footsteps of the Americans, and they have become accustomed to cooperating with their allies at the expense of their own interests, and with Britain's domestic financial situation, it is simply wishful thinking to build its own satellite communication system.

So among the delegates present now, there is no chance that no one can resist the will of the United States. The meeting was almost destined to go through the motions. Although there is a trillion-dollar communications market waiting to be opened behind this, if you want to enter this market, you have to spend a huge amount of money to research a new system that can be compatible with the Iridium system, which is difficult to achieve by a single European country.

"Okay, now that the head of Iridium is here. Let's settle this matter! Raise your hand if you agree to adopt Iridium's technology as a solution for NATO's military satellites! The commander-in-chief of NATO first raised his hand in the air, followed by the representatives of Belgium and Luxembourg, and as the eyes of the Allied commanders representing the interests of the United States swept over, more and more representatives of European countries in NATO chose to raise their hands in agreement. In the end, the representatives of Great Britain, Italy, and the Federal Republic of Germany also raised their hands reluctantly, and the proposal was successfully adopted.

Among the major powers in Western Europe, France has withdrawn from NATO and has retained only the status of a political observer. So this time the voting activity has been issued, and there is no right to vote. But after Europe has opened its doors to the Iridium system, can France continue to insist on developing its own communication system? The answer is already obvious.

"Yes gentlemen, thank you for your trust in Iridium, and I am glad that you have chosen Iridium as your military satellite communications service provider. I will prepare the contract and the relevant legal documents as soon as I return to the United States. However, it seems that the launch capabilities of our current satellite launch partner, NASA, cannot meet our plans, and we can put some of the launches in Europe. This is part of the benefits we are selling in the European market, but in addition to that, we will also be opening up the ground operator rights to interested companies in our countries. Especially in densely populated large cities, the terrestrial and carrier will provide access to the fixed telephone network......" Eva said with a smile.