SAN JOSE, CA , August 15, 2003
When the power blackout in the northeastern U.S. and Canada strained and overloaded most ground-based phone systems, many emergency services and other vital government agencies turned to dependable satellite phones to stay connected. During the first 24-hours of the blackout, the Globalstar satphone control center, shown here, processed more than triple the number of phone calls that are normally placed in the affected areas, easily absorbing the increased volume and helping to keep vital government and business services running smoothly.