Teledesic is a global "Internet-in-the-Sky" that will provide broadband and Internet access, videoconferencing, high-quality voice and other digital data services through a constellation of 288 satellites.

The Teledesic Network consists of terminals that interface between the satellite network and the terrestrial end-users, network gateways and network operations and control systems that perform network management functions, and a space segment that provides the communication links and switching among terminals.

Teledesic's space-based network uses fast-packet switching to provide seamless, global coverage. Each satellite is a node in the fast-packet-switch network and communicates through crosslinks to other satellites in the same and adjacent orbital planes.  Communications are treated within the network as streams of short, fixed-length packets.  Each packet carries the network address of the destination terminal, and each node independently selects the least-delay route to that destination.

The Teledesic Network plans to initiate operations in 2003.