Satellite Communications for Disaster Recovery

Satellites offer virtually instant infrastructure in areas where any semblance of 21st Century communications technology has been wiped out, or where it never existed in the first place. In terms of independence from terrestrial communications systems, rapid deployment, and virtually global coverage, satellite communications is becoming more and more a part of today’s recovery plans.

Mega Disasters and Frequent Disasters
As others in the DR community have noted, the frequency of disasters has been steadily increasing since 1980. There are a variety of reasons as to why this is the case. Some will say the weather related incidents are rooted in global warming. While some will also say that the rise in other disasters, such as power failures or telephone cable cuts, is largely attributable to greater dependence on telecommunications. Greater dependency equals greater effect of the disaster, thus better reporting, thus an increase in incidents. Whatever the reason, we must plan for events that show an ever-increasing frequency and severity. Without a doubt, the mega disaster should be a concern, especially given the track record of household names like Katrina, Rita and Allen.

Don’t Forget the More FREQUENT Kinds of Disasters
When considering natural disasters, however, it is important to keep things in perspective. For every Hurricane Katrina, there are hundreds of telephone cable cuts. And for every telephone cable cut, there are probably ten times the number of power glitches. Where then, would you expect to spend your planning effort? The following might give you some idea of the answer.

In 2004, there were an estimated 675,000 excavation incidents in the USA that damaged underground cables or pipelines. According to a group called the “Common Ground Alliance” (CGA); 27.5% of these damaged telephone cables. That is 506 a day, every day.

Obviously when set in this context, it makes sense to have something like Satellite in place that is independent of the terrestrial infrastructure, to at least maintain command and control in such an event. Traditional wireless phones are useful too, but are not always the answer for a variety of reasons.

A Real Life Example
In the immediate aftermath of Katrina, one New Orleans hospital actually saw a triple redundant backup plan evaporate before its eyes. First, the serving telco central office flooded, requiring them to recover to wireless phones. Since the towers that provide wireless service often only maintain as few as 12 hours of battery backup, after the power was out that long, the wireless phones no longer worked. This caused the hospital to fall back to its third level of redundancy, handheld satellite phones. Even in that case, however, there were further complications. With virtually all other communications media no longer available, the federal government took over many of the satellite frequencies. This left the hospital scrambling to recover using other technologies – even after planning for three levels of redundancy. Ultimately the hospital was able to arrange for fixed location wireless Internet service and quickly turned up some VoIP phones. This really drives home why it is important to keep your options open and have as many safety nets in place as you can.

How Can I Make Sure This Does Not Happen with MY Satellite Service?
One thing in hindsight that could have helped would have been closer coordination with the satellite communications provider. Many types of satellite service come in “preemptable” and “non-preemptable” classes of service. Most wireless communications services are regulated by Federal and State governments and these agencies wield broad powers in a disaster. Notwithstanding that caveat, a hospital should have no problem in securing the non-preemptable class of service, since they would unquestionably be considered an essential service. Such service is more costly but the lesson in this case should be apparent. Check with your service provider to be sure.

Of course, it is prudent not to be too dependent on any single technology. As in the case above, the hospital actually had four safety nets. Three broke but the fourth one, in this case the VoIP phones, held. The scenario could have just as easily have been the VoIP access links down and the satellite still in service. That’s why, at the risk of repeating it again, it’s so important to keep all options available. Landline, wireless, satellite, VoIP and even two-way radio all have a place in recovery.

Useful Satellite Services
When adding satellite service to augment your own safety nets, consider the following kinds of service:

1. Voice Communications
Mobile satellite services utilize portable phones with about the same size, talk time and features as regular wireless phones. Some come with rugged, water and dust proof enclosures that are suited to use in a disaster area. These would be utilized in the opening hours following a disaster to notify and dispatch resources, file reports and generally coordinate the recovery effort.

2. Mobile Data Terminals / Mobile Satellite Service (MSS)
MSS terminals are small enough to be carried by an individual or can be easily mounted on a ship, aircraft, car or truck. Some offer capabilities such as email, Internet access, as well as other features normally found in laptop computers or PDAs.

3. Fixed Satellite Services (FSS) and Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT)
While they won’t fit in your pocket, FSS and VSAT offer higher capacity and more applications. These are commonly used for things like private line circuit back-haul to a recovery center, or applications that require a broadband connection such as television, video conferencing, teleradiology, or other high speed needs up to about 4 Mbs. VSAT and FSS require dish antennas that range in size from that of a pizza pan to about four feet across. They can be transported with relative ease and placed in service in minutes. Bear in mind that mobility is a problem after a major disaster. It may take a while to be able to order a four-foot dish and install it. Remember, even if the roads are clear, the road signs may be gone! This is all the more reason to also have a hand held satellite phone. One with built in Global Positioning Service (GPS) would be especially sweet – then you would know where you were even if the road signs were gone.

Mobile Command and Control Communications
All of the applications discussed above can be adapted to Mobile Command Centers in vans, jeeps, Humvees, other vehicles, and even helicopters. With today’s technologies, IP data services and voice services can work from vehicles over satellite at speeds up to 100 Km Hr / 60 Mph. Police, Fire and EMT can utilize these services, and they will still work even from a speeding ambulance.

Acknowledgements

The author wishes to thank the Global VSAT forum as well as the Satellite Industry Association for their contributions to this article. If you are looking for a great reference and “easy read” on this topic, download or order the First Responder’s Guide to Satellite Communications published by the Satellite Industry Association (SIA). Their website is www.sia.org. The Global VSAT Forum’s is www.gvf.org.

This article has been excerpted from a 2-article series to be published in July and August, 2007, by the non-profit association, Network and Systems Professionals Association, NaSPA, www.naspa.com. The publisher thanks NaSPA for allowing use of this excellent article in the 12th annual GUIDE! For the full versions of both articles, a link is provided at www.GUIDErequest.com/TCSC.