An interface (52) is provided between a satellite telephone system (4) and
a cellular telephone system (5) for allowing calls to a user's cellular
telephone to be diverted to a satellite telephone (25) when the user is
unable to use his cellular telephone, for example when on board an
aeroplane (2) fitted with a satellite telephone system (20). The user
inserts a card (which may be the SIM of his mobile phone, or a card
compatible with existing satellite telephone equipment) into a suitable
reader in the satellite telephone (20), which causes the satellite ground
station's card verification system (42) to connect to a host cellular
network (50). The host cellular network has an interface unit (52) which
emulates the operation of a normal base station, so that the host
cellular system (50) acts as if the mobile user's terminal is roaming on
the host network, but is currently "busy". The interface (52) also resets
the user's existing call diversion instructions so that when the host
cellular system (5) receives a busy tone frome the base station emulator
(52), it routes calls to the directory number of the terminal (20).