Iridium Board of Directors Elects New CFO; New Vice President of Marketing & Sales Also Appointed.

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 12, 1999--

Iridium LLC (NASDAQ: IRID) (ILLC) announced today the appointment of two senior executives to its management team. Leo Mondale, an ILLC senior vice president, has been elected chief financial executive by the Board of Directors, and Sue Kennedy has been named vice president of marketing and sales.

Mr. Mondale will take overall responsibility for all financial matters. He will also continue in his strategic planning and business development role, and will report directly to John A. Richardson, the interim chief executive officer of ILLC. Mr. Mondale has served in various senior management roles at Iridium LLC since 1990. He also played an instrumental role in securing US $4.7 billion in financing for Iridium. Prior to joining Iridium, Mr. Mondale held executive management positions at MATRA, S.A., Paris France, following several years of private legal practice.

"Mr. Mondale has demonstrated his abilities in leading marketing, regulatory and planning efforts at Iridium over the past several years, and he brings a wealth of experience to the key financial position," said Richardson. " Leo is a familiar face to the investment community, and he is uniquely qualified to play this major role in meeting the upcoming challenges at Iridium."

Ms. Kennedy, formerly of Iridium Africa Corporation, will take overall responsibility for the marketing department. She has extensive experience in international marketing and sales operations, and was a founding officer of MTN (Mobile Telecom Network), one of the largest wireless operators in Africa. Prior to MTN, Ms. Kennedy held a variety of senior industry positions in South Africa. Ms. Kennedy will report directly to Mr. Richardson.

"I have worked with Sue for some time and know her to be a talented marketing executive," said Richardson. "I am confident that Sue will step up to the challenging tasks ahead and will be a strong leader of the sales and marketing team."

Iridium LLC became the world's first global satellite phone and paging company on November 1, 1998. The network of 66 low-earth orbiting satellites, combined with terrestrial cellular systems, enables customers to communicate virtually anywhere in the world using one phone and pager, one phone number, and receiving one monthly bill. Customers access participating local cellular networks when available, and the Iridium satellite network when outside terrestrial cellular coverage. Iridium World Communications, Ltd. (NASDAQ: IRID) is the public investment vehicle of Iridium LLC.

Iridium is a registered trademark and service mark of Iridium LLC (c) 1999