Yes, that was incorrect, they are at 780KM orbit, I was thinking Inmarsat who use GEO.
Phased Array does help in improving signal strength(and bandwidth) by focusing on the orbital plane only, however I thought since Iridium uses L-Band(1-2GHz) and SpaceX uses Ku-Band(12-14Ghz), there is additional dish size required anyway and also rain fade issues meant higher strength is required in Ku to operate well.
Phased Array does help in improving signal strength(and bandwidth) by focusing on the orbital plane only, however I thought since Iridium uses L-Band(1-2GHz) and SpaceX uses Ku-Band(12-14Ghz), there is additional dish size required anyway and also rain fade issues meant higher strength is required in Ku to operate well.