1

                                                                   Exhibit 1

IRIDIUM TO PURCHASE CLAIRCOM AERONAUTICAL TELEPHONE BUSINESS FROM
AT&T

Acquisition secures powerful channel to reach business travelers, and advances
Iridium LLC position as Global Wireless Telephone Company

(WASHINGTON,D.C., December 22, 1998)

Iridium LLC announced today that it has reached an agreement to purchase
Claircom Communications Group, Inc. (Claircom) from AT&T and Rogers Cantel for
$65 million in cash and debt. The acquisition is subject to regulatory
approvals.

Claircom's inflight telephone services will complement Iridium's portfolio of
services tailored for the business-traveling professional. Following completion
of the transaction, the Claircom installations will carry the Iridium brand,
and will be integrated into Iridium's global wireless telephony and paging
offering.

"We envision a world in which Iridium customers will have the capability to go
virtually anywhere and always remain in touch - not only with their Iridium
handheld satellite phones and pagers, but also with Iridium phones installed on
commercial and private aircraft," said Edward F. Staiano, Vice Chairman and CEO
of Iridium LLC.

This transaction will enable the international business traveler and the
vertical markets, which include oil and gas, mining, transportation and other
industries with remote communications needs to communicate while airborne. For
these customers, the airplane is their principal mode of professional travel,
and the Iridium name on the telephones in those airplanes will be a valuable
asset.

Seattle-based Claircom began revenue service in 1993, and is the second largest
provider in the United States of telephone communications to commercial
airplanes. Claircom owns and operates a digital air-to-ground telephony network
consisting of 160 ground stations distributed across the United States, Canada
and Mexico, and two switching centers. The network currently serves passengers
with more than 100,000 inflight telephones on approximately 1,700 commercial
and executive aircraft. Claircom is also a major marketer of international
aeronautical equipment for satellite services, with installations on over 200
aircraft.

Iridium's satellite aeronautical services unit, scheduled to begin global
commercial service late Q1 1999 will join with Claircom to create a world class
aeronautical services business with products and services for all types of
aircraft and their passengers. The Iridium system will be capable of delivering
aeronautical communications services to the cockpits and cabins of commercial
airliners and personal and corporate aircraft. The system will provide
passenger communications for in-bound and out-bound calling, direct
communications to belt-worn pagers, and cockpit communications worldwide,
including previously unavailable polar route service.

Iridium LLC became the world's first global satellite phone and paging company
on November 1, 1998. The network of 66-low earth orbiting satellite s combined
with terrestrial cellular systems, enables subscribers 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:
IRIDF) is the public investment vehicle of Iridium LLC.