25.7. THE "HIDDEN" BUSINESS CASE

The decision by Motorola to invest heavily into the Iridium Project may have been driven by a secondary or hidden business case. Over the years, Motorola achieved a reputation of being a first-mover (i.e., first to market). With the Iridium Project, Motorola was poised to capture first-mover advantage in providing global telephone service via low-Earth-orbiting satellites. In addition, even if the Iridium Project never resulted in providing service, Motorola would still have amassed valuable intellectual property that would make Motorola possibly the major player for years to come in satellite communications. There may have also been the desire of Robert and Christopher Galvin to have their names etched in history as the pioneers in satellite communication.