Choose Path-Diverse Connectivity for Emergency Response

During the 2020 hurricane season, coastal communities in the United States experienced twice as many tropical storms and hurricanes as might have been expected based on historical averages. Climatologists said it was the most active hurricane season on record. It was also the fifth costliest Atlantic hurricane season – quickly overshadowed just weeks later by widespread power outages due to winter storms and record cold. Along with the wreckage to people’s livelihoods and homes, the 2020-21 storms wiped out critical infrastructure needed to keep citizens and first responders connected. In fact, NOAA estimates there were nearly two dozen billion-dollar climate events in 2020. Set against the backdrop of the widespread COVID-19 pandemic, this acceleration in the number and intensity of storms is a sobering reminder of just how important connectivity is in times of disaster.

COVID-19 Introduces New Set of Challenges to Disaster Response

Furthermore, amid the pandemic, there are fewer volunteers, limited PPE resources and added complexity – due to social distancing, mask-wearing and business closures – creating obstacles to the response equation. At the same time, connectivity among response teams is perhaps even more critical during the pandemic as first responders work with smaller teams and maintain distance to minimize the possibility of COVID-19 infections among themselves and the people they serve. In fact, COVID-19 has introduced an entirely new set of challenges to disaster response that may or may not dissipate – even after the roll-out of vaccines and communities obtain ‘herd immunity.’ Consistent, reliable connection is particularly important to coordinating a pandemic-minded disaster response. Investing in a strategic and reliable path-diverse communication network is the best way to supply first responders with the connectivity they need during an emergency situation.

During a typical storm season, satellite presents an ideal connectivity solution. Very Small Aperture Terminals (VSATs) are small and easy to position at staging sites close by impacted regions. As long as they have a clear line of sight to the satellite in space, VSATs can deliver connectivity almost anywhere – ideal for first responders to coordinate rescue and response and for citizens to tell loved ones that they are safe. In fact, many state and local governments as well as the Federal Emergency Management Agency in the U.S., will pre-purchase VSAT terminals and satellite service in advance of the annual hurricane season as a measure of precaution. Prestaging makes it easy to bring in the VSATs and set them up in the immediate aftermath of a storm—no matter how much of the fiber or cable infrastructure has been wiped out.

Benefits of Satellite Technology

Proper planning and the adoption of reliable satellite technology can ensure continuity of connection. Satellite technology is less susceptible to storm damage because it doesn’t rely on land-based networks. Satellite technology’s accessibility and ease of installation enables emergency response teams and communities to set up multiple, socially distanced command centers or locations for citizens to take shelter. A constant, seamless satellite connection also means first responders can communicate effortlessly through their radios, cellphones or other devices, reducing the amount of close-quarter interaction to an as-needed basis while at the disaster site.

However, as the one-two-punch of the COVID pandemic plus the unusually active storm season showed, emergency communication networks, while crucial, are probably not enough. A path-diverse network solution that makes use of satellite plus another form of connectivity, keeps mission-critical applications online when a storm compromises terrestrial network connectivity. This is where a multi-transport approach can deliver the redundancy and reliability that communities need today.

Multi-Transport Solutions Ensure Availability and Reliability

Enterprises have long embraced multi-transport solutions to ensure the availability and reliability of essential networks. For example, a major drugstore chain in the U.S. uses both a managed SD-WAN network – with the best available broadband connection (fiber, cable, LTE or satellite) at every site – as well as an enterprise-wide satellite network. Daily data traffic traverses the SD-WAN network, with the satellite system reserved for large data transfers and network backup. In the event of a broadband outage at any site or region, the system seamlessly switches over to the satellite network. A nationwide grocery chain has a multi-transport primary network with a system-wide satellite network as a tertiary back-up. In an age when connectivity is as essential as electricity, commercial enterprises increasingly depend on multi-path network diversity – an approach that can serve as a model for emergency response.

As we enter the second year of the pandemic and governments and communities assess their emergency preparedness efforts, diverse backup and multi-transport networks offer the best path forward to withstand the harsh realities ahead. Emergency preparedness requires forward-thinking and extensive planning. We have to ask: What do we have control over right now and what can we do about it? For emergency response planning now and into the future, one action to take is to fortify communication networks with a path-diverse solution that includes satellite infrastructure.