The idea that people would carry an Iridium phone constantly turned out to be pretty far-fetched (if nothing else, they're big and the audio quality is pretty l

The idea that people would carry an Iridium phone constantly turned out to be pretty far-fetched (if nothing else, they're big and the audio quality is pretty lousy), but they have carved out a pretty decent niche catering to people who are traveling in remote areas. My brother did some conservation work in really remote areas; I joined him for a little bit. They carried a sat phone, which was used for brief check-ins every few days ("We're fine. Will be moving down the river to site B this afternoon. Bye!") and to coordinate "operations" like receiving supplies or getting picked up by a bush pilot. Edit: I vaguely recall some of the early marketing being aimed at Gordon Gekko-style businessmen who must always be reachable. I think this never panned of partly due to the cost and partly due to the fact that cell phones got much, much better, both in terms of features and coverage.