ORBCOMM offers affordable global wireless data and messaging communications services from space.

Vital messages generated by a variety of applications are collected and transmitted by an appropriate subscriber communicator (SC) to a satellite in the ORBCOMM constellation. The satellite relays these messages to an ORBCOMM Gateway Earth Station (GES). The message is sent through a Gateway Control Center (GCC) to its destination, through the Internet or other terrestrial networks, to a personal computer, or to a subscriber communicator pager.

Messages and data sent to a remote SC can be initiated from any computer using common e-mail systems, including the Internet mail and X.400. The NCC or GCC then transmits the information using ORBCOMM's global telecommunications network.

The ORBCOMM system uses 137-138 MHz and 400 MHz frequencies for transmissions down to mobile or fixed data communications devices and 148-150 MHz frequencies for transmissions up to the satellites.