Bureaucracy Hard To Beat
But make no mistake, working with government agencies can be challenging, especially when dealing within the rural telephony market niche. "The most Important 'first step' to establish an international business relationship is to identify the correct officials to work with," says Kathryn Holman, vice president of Telenor Satellite Services. "The main point of contact in most cases still remains within the local telecom provider, and working with those officials to meet regulatory requirements and satisfy their communications needs remains paramount for business operations."
Nevertheless, Telenor has made strides to overcome such obstacles and has seen some growth within new vertical markets. "Remote communications are needed for forestry and logging, aerial mapping and real-time reporting of forest fires, as well as tele-care services on aircraft for flight crews who need medical care--[these] are all growing applications for satellite rural telephony technology," she adds. "Essentially, being able to aid and help people who are in emergencies is one of the hallmarks of rural telephony as it pertains to our industry. Remote or rural are now relative terms, not out of touch as these words once described, thanks to satellite." In fact, now in some rural areas, ambulances can directly download patient information, as they are rushing to the hospital--as a result, being remote no longer means being out of touch.
"If there is an emergency in a rural area and all one has is the village doctor at their disposal, now through satellite technology a direct link to the general hospital and its specialists are a satellite transmission away," says Holman.
This bridging of rural telephony from remote regions to developed areas has been experienced first hand by many. One such user has a strong relationship with satellite technology and maintains active communications regardless of where in the world he may be. Pasquale Scaturro, vice president of Exploration Specialists International, is not an ordinary geophysicist. He has more than 23 years experience in the domestic and international oil and gas industry and has done extensive and operationally difficult geophysical projects in some of the most remote areas of the world.
"My job means I go into old oil fields to evaluate them, acquire seismic data, and then help rehabilitate them, or I am involved in exploration, which means going out into the middle of nowhere hoping to find places to drill a well," says Scaturro. "In terms of satellite communications, I never go anywhere without a satellite phone terminal, be it either mostly some sort of Inmarsat system or I have even used the Iridium system before."
Scaturro's work and personal passions--he is an outdoor adventurer at heart--have literally taken him to some of the most remote areas of the world. "I use satellite technology for its reliability--no matter where I am in the world, the communications link works. I have used them so often, in so many locations, that I consider myself an expert and my clients are happy because I am passing data onto them in real-time from wherever. Technology is important to me and being linked is vital for my business. I constantly have to make decisions on how to economize wisely and I have found that satellite, for my rural communication needs, is the answer," he says.
Future Business Remains Strong
And this answer remains golden for satellite executives who continue to develop networks and service offerings in the remote areas of the world. Even though tough economic times may have driven contract prices down for such services, one thing remains certain: satellite linking rural with urban still remains a viable market segment and one where satellite technology will continue be a leader, as more applications come to the light and higher communication needs are warranted from the client.
Nick Mitsis is the editor of Via Satellite magazine
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