About the book
In a post–Cold War world, the Iridium satellite network revealed a new age of globalization.
Winner of the William and Joyce Middleton Electrical Engineering History Award by the IEEE
In June 1990, Motorola publicly announced an ambitious business venture called Iridium. The project’s signature feature was a constellation of 77 satellites in low-Earth orbit which served as the equivalent of cellular towers, connecting to mobile customers below using wireless hand-held phones. As one of the founding engineers noted, the constellation “bathed the planet in radiation,” enabling a completely global communications system.
Focusing on the Iridium venture, this book explores the story of globalization at a crucial period in US and international history. As the Cold War waned, corporations and nations reoriented toward a new global order in which markets, neoliberal ideology, and the ideal of a borderless world predominated. As a planetary-scale technological system, the project became emblematic of this shift and of the role of the United States as geopolitical superpower. In its ambition, scope, challenges, and organizing ideas, the rise of Iridium provides telling insight into how this new global condition stimulated a re-thinking of corporate practices—on the factory floor, in culture and knowledge, and in international relations.
Combining oral history interviews with research in corporate records, Martin Collins opens up new angles on what global meant in the years just before and after the end of the Cold War. The first book to tell the story of Iridium in this context, A Telephone for the World is a fascinating look at how people, nations, and corporations across the world grappled in different ways with the meaning of a new historical era.
Editions of Telephone for the World
- Hardcover
- ISBN 9781421424835
- EBook
- ISBN 9781421424842
Read an Excerpt
In a post–Cold War world, the Iridium satellite network revealed a new age of globalization.
Winner of the William and Joyce Middleton Electrical Engineering History Award by the IEEE
In June 1990, Motorola publicly announced an ambitious business venture called Iridium. The project’s signature feature was a constellation of 77 satellites in low-Earth orbit which served as the equivalent of cellular towers, connecting to mobile customers below using wireless hand-held phones. As one of the founding engineers noted, the constellation “bathed the planet in radiation,” enabling a completely global communications system.
Focusing on the Iridium venture, this book explores the story of globalization at a crucial period in US and international history. As the Cold War waned, corporations and nations reoriented toward a new global order in which markets, neoliberal ideology, and the ideal of a borderless world predominated. As a planetary-scale technological system, the project became emblematic of this shift and of the role of the United States as geopolitical superpower. In its ambition, scope, challenges, and organizing ideas, the rise of Iridium provides telling insight into how this new global condition stimulated a re-thinking of corporate practices—on the factory floor, in culture and knowledge, and in international relations.
Combining oral history interviews with research in corporate records, Martin Collins opens up new angles on what global meant in the years just before and after the end of the Cold War. The first book to tell the story of Iridium in this context, A Telephone for the World is a fascinating look at how people, nations, and corporations across the world grappled in different ways with the meaning of a new historical era.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Telephone for the World about?
In a post–Cold War world, the Iridium satellite network revealed a new age of globalization.
Winner of the William and Joyce Middleton Electrical Engineering History Award by the IEEE
In June 1990, Motorola publicly announced an ambitious business venture called Iridium. The project’s signature feature was a constellation of 77 satellites in low-Earth orbit which served as the equivalent of cellular towers, connecting to mobile customers below using wireless hand-held phones. As one of the founding engineers noted, the constellation “bathed the planet in radiation,” enabling a completely global communications system.
Focusing on the Iridium venture, this book explores the story of globalization at a crucial period in US and international history. As the Cold War waned, corporations and nations reoriented toward a new global order in which markets, neoliberal ideology, and the ideal of a borderless world predominated. As a planetary-scale technological system, the project became emblematic of this shift and of the role of the United States as geopolitical superpower. In its ambition, scope, challenges, and organizing ideas, the rise of Iridium provides telling insight into how this new global condition stimulated a re-thinking of corporate practices—on the factory floor, in culture and knowledge, and in international relations.
Combining oral history interviews with research in corporate records, Martin Collins opens up new angles on what global meant in the years just before and after the end of the Cold War. The first book to tell the story of Iridium in this context, A Telephone for the World is a fascinating look at how people, nations, and corporations across the world grappled in different ways with the meaning of a new historical era.
What core themes, tropes, or subjects are explored in Telephone for the World?
History and Archaeology > History > History of the Americas
Where can I read a sample of Telephone for the World?
You can read an official preview of the few pages here https://www.book2look.com/book/9781421424835
Who is/are the Author/s of the book Telephone for the World?
Martin Collins
What are the ISBN numbers for the physical and digital editions?
Telephone for the World is available as hardcover(ISBN 9781421424835) and ebook(ISBN 9781421424842)
Where can I buy Telephone for the World online or support local independent bookshops?
You can buy Telephone for the World from below
Where can I buy Telephone for the World?