 engineering success; a tribute to largely US-based engineering resource, but at the time was a fiscal failure. Figure 16.1 shows the constellation and north south orbital paths. The business model was predicated on the existence of a user community who would prefer not to use their cellular phone or two-way or short-wave radio as a preferred communications device. This user community would instead choose a system where the phones and phone service were made available at a substantial premium with poor indoor coverage, packaged in a form factor similar to a Motorola World War walkie-talkie radio. Globalstar launched a competing constellation of 48 higher-altitude satellites. Like Iridium these were an engineering triumph but at the time a fiscal failure. Both Iridium and Globalstar went into Chapter 11 administration. But life moves on and moves in mysterious ways. A retrospectively prescient decision was taken not to deorbit the satellites but to maintain both constellations and continue to service and develop a loyal group of specialist users. And then came 9/11, and the second Gulf War and 5 Iridium is the 77th element and/originally there were to be 77 satellites in the constellation. Most Iridium found on the earth's surface is from meteorites. Making Telecoms Work Figure 16.1 The Iridium Constellation. Reproduced with the permission of Iridium. Afghanistan and Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and the Asian Tsunami, the Madrid bombings and the 7/7 bus and tube bombings in London and more recently the forest fires in California plus earthquakes in Turkey, Haiti, China, New Zealand and Japan, a few famines and floods and other natural and unnatural disasters around the world. 16.16 Satellites and Cellular Networks Cellular networks were, and are, not always ideal to provide first-responder support in these often hazardous and naturally or unnaturally chaotic unwanted and unpredictable events. For example, towers and/or terrestrial telephone links can be blown up or blown down. Iridium has always had a number of inh