After the recent Philippines typhoon. Photo courtesy of Telecoms Sans Frontieres.
Mobile satellite communications in a crisis
Vizada's Eric Jan Bakker explains how mobile satellite services have evolved significantly over the past ten years, and now it is possible to access broadband internet in remote locations and enjoy levels of service previously only available with terrestrial communications
Today, mobile satellite services (MSS) come in the form of portable terminals that are user-friendly, quick to deploy and provide instant, secure access to communications networks. This has proven critical for many first responders, enabling teams on the ground to speed up operations in remote areas, by communicating more easily with headquarters and providing an on-site telecoms service for affected populations.
Vizada supplies MSS to a number of non-governmental organisations and first responders - including Médecins sans Frontières, International Red Cross, United Nations organisations, Télécoms Sans Frontières (TSF), and the United States Army Corps of Engineers - which operate in crisis zones where telecoms infrastructure is damaged or may never have existed. Vizada's MSS were used extensively during a number of missions in October 2009 including in Sumatra after the island was hit by two earthquakes, in Samoa following the tsunami, and the Philippines after it was ravaged by typhoons.
"Some of our customers, like Médecins Sans Frontières, have worked with us for almost 20 years and we've come to notice a common theme among them when it comes to communications," commented Eric Jan Bakker, Sales Director, Government & NGO, Vizada.
"When working in remote areas they need to know that they can pick up the phone and make a call from wherever they are in the world, or send an email from their laptop, and know that they will get through. Essentially they look for reliable services which are very easy to use and enable them to communicate as they would in an office."
MSS also appeals to first responders because they can be easily carried from place to place.
"Contrary to many people's perception of satellite terminals, today's MSS, such as Inmarsat BGAN, easily fit in a rucksack. Users are given a small terminal, which they connect to a laptop and point in the direction of the satellite. Once switched on, this instantly enables them to use the telephone handset to make a voice call, or send an email or perform videoconferencing through the high-speed internet connection. And they can do this from literally anywhere in the world."
Télécoms Sans Frontières (TSF), a French NGO, sets up telecoms centres using Vizada's MSS to enable other NGOs working in crisis areas to communicate more easily on site and with headquarters abroad. The centres also provide free calls to local populations, allowing them to contact relatives, who are otherwise unable to learn of their family's safety, status or location.
In June this year TSF set up a telecoms centre in the Mardan district of Pakistan for people having fled fighting by Taliban insurgents in the Swat valley. TSF offered 1,570 free calls in six days, enabling families to communicate with their relatives using mobile satellite terminals. 40% of the calls were international, with many Pakistanis phoning relatives in other Asian countries, the Middle East, and the UK.
"Another big factor for first responders is keeping costs under control. We're not talking about dealing with commercial organisations here, and many of our customers are required to be increasingly accountable for funds provided by donors and other sources," explained Eric Jan Bakker.
With today's MSS terminals are based on a broadband IP-based connection, communications costs are considerably lower compared with analogue systems available ten years ago. Online tools can also help customers see at all times how much they are paying for the calls they make or the emails they send. And crucially, they have full control over their terminals to be able to set black & white lists to avoid receiving junk mail, restrict access to certain websites, or even bar terminals if necessary.
A number of organisations have also benefited from specific agreements with MSS providers, such as the one signed with the International Telecommunications Union in October 2009. Vizada and satellite network operator Inmarsat donated 70 Inmarsat BGAN terminals and airtime to their Emergency Telecommunications unit which provides communications systems to governments in countries hit by conflict or natural disaster.
"Broadband IP-based communications services are being increasingly used by our first responder customers, and we see this trend continuing in the future. Improved data rates, which allow users to send large image files and videos, are enabling customers to better assess crisis situations by communicating more rapidly and accurately. Add to this the move away from pricing based on connection time and you have many more organisations advocating new generation broadband MSS services." added Eric Jan Bakker.
Lastly, not only are MSS changing the way in which first responders operate, they are also having an impact on the way that the outside world see them. With the possibility to send images and videos, these customers are no longer solely dependent on journalists to raise awareness of the work they carry out on their different missions.
