ICO will provide global mobile communications services using a constellation of medium earth orbit (MEO) satellites and a global ground telecommunications network.

ICO will consist of 10 operational spacecraft with 2 in-orbit spares in a 45 degree inclination orbit.  Hughes Space and Communications will design, manufacture, and launch the ICO satellites.

The system will offer a wide range of satellite based mobile telecommunications through handheld, specialty, and fixed phones manufactured by Hughes, Mitsubishi, NEC, Nera, Panasonic, and Samsung.  The services will include voice, data, and fax with voicemail, messaging, three way calling and call forwarding. 

To place a call in parts of the globe underserved by terrestrial networks, the user terminal will send a signal to a satellite overhead.  The system will then relay the signal to a satellite access node (SAN) which sends the signal through a terrestrial network to its final destination.

It is unclear how or when ICO will commence commercial operations, which was originally planned for the third quarter of 2000.