Alternative Uses Of Emergency Communications Networks Driving New Market

When terrestrial communications equipment has either been destroyed or rendered unavailable, satellite-based emergency systems receive praise for picking up the slack. But memories fade after the debris is cleaned up, and emergency communications providers are find that their systems must serve multiple purposes in order to attract potential customers.
Fully redundant networks provide operational continuity, but they can lose their importance if customers balk at paying the high cost to maintain systems that are used only when an emergency arises. Enabling the emergency systems to provide complimentary services that provide additional revenue is one way to keep these customers interested, but is this trend real and is it creating a new robust demand cycle for satellite players?
“The performance of satellite systems has proven impressive as a means of risk mitigation for telecom outages, but they can only be effective if they are built into disaster-recovery and business-continuity plans well in advance,” says David Myers, senior vice president of marketing & corporate development for Spacenet. The importance of planning for redundancy to terrestrial telecommunications systems and pre-positioning equipment for rapid deployment cannot be overemphasized, he says.

Government Continuity Goal

The U.S. government and its many agencies have embraced the full continuity of emergency communication networks. “We have had many instances in the recent past of emergency communication uses of satellite technology,” says Jim Gilbert, CEO of On Call Communications. “Most recently, first responders used our services during the Tennessee Valley Tornadoes and last fall’s California Wildfires. During the Tennessee Valley Tornadoes in February, FEMA (the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency) deployed mobile disaster recovery units equipped with On Call’s QuickSpot system, enabling secure, high-speed Internet, voice and fax lines for its employees to operate out of their mobile offices. They also used videoconferencing and webcasting to assess and relay the extent of the damage.”
Along with the federal government, Jay Yass, Intelsat’s vice president of network services, says the company is seeing strong interest in emergency communications systems from state and local agencies as well. “We have seen a surge in emergency communications planning and deployments since Hurricane Katrina,” he says. “First responders are interested in solutions that can accommodate new technologies and applications as well as higher data rates to support increasing demand for videoconferencing and streaming video from the disaster scenes. High-bandwidth IP solutions are a clear choice for organizations who want to support multiple applications since IP is a versatile platform and a globally accepted standard. IP-based devices are getting more efficient all the time, so an IP based solution offers options for future expansion,” he says.
Federal funding is being driven down to the states and their local city governments, says Amy Kudwa, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. “Satellites are absolutely part of their toolkit, such as satellite use in the California forest fires and for law enforcement as in mapping of the Washington D.C. sniper [case]. Homeland Security recognizes the value of satellites and is streamlining the process to make it more efficient for homeland security purposes,” she says.
“Adoption of satellite-based emergency communication networks is being driven by more funding and attention,” says Myers. “The agenda is interoperability and real-time switchover between primary and stand-by communications. We are in an era of where there is a real push to make continuity of operations a reality,” says Myers.
“We receive lots of requests for easily portable solutions and so have developed hybrid fly and drive systems which can ship via overnight carriers or fit in the back of a pickup truck to meet that need,” says Gilbert. “Budget is always a consideration so we have focused on developing transportable systems at a price point within the reach of local public safety agencies.”
Along with more funding, the government also is at the forefront in terms of finding alternative use for emergency networks, using them for providing services such as distance learning, medical records access and regulatory downloads as well as other administrative functions. Among the key U.S. government agencies which have championed alternative uses of emergency communications systems are the Department of Justice and the Air Force. Security is not a concern because the IP security protocols protects their core networks and allow them to share their networks in an operable manner.
FEMA has learned from its mistakes in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, says Karl Fuchs, director of systems engineering for iDirect Government Technologies. The agency suffered from the problem of high recurring cost for keeping a system available that is used only when disaster strikes, but now using iDirect equipment, FEMA pays only a small recurring charge and then pays a premium when the disaster happens and federal funds begin to flow to cover the cost.
The ultimate goal of the U.S. government is to build a robust and optimized network with stand-by nodes which can be operationally easy to switch on for narrow and broadband in a time of an emergency. The key issue is will these injected funds remove the mindset of local state first responders; namely, whether emergency communication networks are only for emergencies or disasters? At the local government level, the traction only is beginning and will require education to bring alternative communications and continuity networks to the forefront of administrator’s emergency network priorities.
“Local first responder government agencies [see] the cost of equipment as too high, the difficulty of hiring skilled manpower, the lack of training to develop the skills to implement the [emergency communications networks] and simply not having enough of the physical resources to meet the highest standards of emergency response,” says Charles Mason, vice president of Tri-Sentinel, a Silicon Valley first responder technology firm.
Technology advancement is also playing a key role in the growth of the dual-use systems. Mobile Satellite Ventures (MSV) plans to operate ancillary terrestrial component (ATC) facilities providing voice and data communication via L-band frequencies for users equipped with dual-mode handsets. “By 2010-2011 our technology will dramatically change the [emergency communications network] and lead to alternative uses and be driven by Mobile Satellite Ventures’ next generation of hybrid MSS (mobile satellite services) architecture and new innovative terrestrial hand sets,” says Jim Corry, vice president of government solutions for MSV. “FEMA will now be able to provide a phone for everyone when a disaster strikes. Plus, MSS-ATC technology will lead to a surge in demand from enterprises and consumers.”