Desch: Hurricane Sandy Disabled Many Cell Towers

Mobile satellite services operator Iridium Communications has seen a growth in use of its satellite handsets in the wake of Hurricane Sandy’s devastation of several states in the Northeast United States, Iridium Chief Executive Matthew J. Desch said Nov. 1.

In a conference call with investors, Desch said 25 percent of terrestrial cellular network towers in 10 states in Sandy’s path were disabled. “It has been another reminder to the world of the fragility of ground-based communications,” Desch said.