Japanese satellite operator, SKY Perfect JSAT faced a true test in March 2011 when the nation was hit with a catastrophic earthquake. Shinji Takada, president, SKY Perfect JSAT, talks about the challenges the operator faced when dealing with this disaster, as well as the operator’s 2012 growth plans and strategy to develop its presence in markets outside of Asia.
VIA SATELLITE: What role did satellite play in the aftermath of the earthquake that hit Japan earlier this year? What part did SKY Perfect JSAT have in providing communications?
Takada: The earthquake of East Japan has had a profound impact to our recognition of space and the satellite business. In the area of disaster, our satellite network has proven its resilience and robustness against catastrophe. With more than 7,000 transmission sites pointing to our satellite throughout Japan, almost all of them continued to operate flawlessly. A calamity of such magnitude caused about 10 of these Tx / Rx VSAT terminals to fail. Most were physically swept away or damaged by the tsunami together with its building. The rest of them survived and continued to operate.
With the strength of the satellite network, SKY Perfect JSAT played a significant role in the response of the surging demand for business continuity plans or disaster-prevention measures. During the response and recovery phase, more than 500 MHz of additional bandwidth was provided through the Japanese Ku-band beam.
We supported disaster recovery efforts following the earthquake by prioritizing the allocation of satellite transponders to the Ministry of Defense, National Police Agency and other government and public-sector institutions that conduct disaster relief activities. We also provided satellite connection services for TV media and news agencies. In addition, [Inmarsat’s] IsatPhone handheld satellite handsets provided by our subsidiary company played an important role in emergency communications.
The company played a large role in communication during and after the disaster. People were accessing the Internet through our satellite connections in local headquarters and evacuation centers. Mobile and fixed common carriers used satellite communications for replacement of their damaged networks and public utilities such as railroad companies and electric power companies became our customers. Railway operators employ satellite connections to minimize the impact of land-based disasters by transmitting early warnings and other information from earthquake detectors to moving trains.
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