Emergency communication options in times of disaster

The Nepal disaster is another reminder that we need to be prepared in case of natural (or man-made) disasters and in times of emergencies.

ITU said that it has deployed emergency telecommunication equipment in Nepal following the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that hit the country on 25 April 2015. The emergency equipment includes 35 satellite mobile phones and 10 satellite Broadband Global Area Network terminals along with solar panels and laptops to support relief coordination efforts.

Satellite phones have been getting better with higher speeds. Thuraya Telecom has some interesting videos on Youtube, here is one that shows how to get good these phones have become:


Satellites can also be used to provide backhaul for small cells and can be installed relatively quickly.

Thaicom recently announced that they have sent equipment and engineers to help reconnect the region quickly. From a picture posted on their website, it looks like they are backhauling the small cells but I dont have any more details.

A similar approach is being done by another satellite operator SES, in conjunction with emergency.lu.

Drones (UAVs) and Baloons are another option for use in these scenarios but they need (expensive) receivers to be installed, which may be an issue.

One of the lessons learned after the Japanese twin disasters of earthquake and tsunami was the need to deploy more small cells.

According to Akiyoshi Ishiwata, a principal research analyst at Gartner in Tokyo covering Japan's mobile networks, 'each of the operators are actively installing small cells and picocells in buildings, subways and indoor areas'. These miniature basestations improve indoor coverage, and improve a network's resilience by using more diverse power supplies and backhaul connections. Ishiwata said operators are considering using femtocells as the basis of a national machine-to-machine communications network that could also include earthquake sensors.

According to The Register, DoCoMo has tested blackout-proof hydrogen cell base station in Japan, ready for the next tsunami (see picture above).

Finally, I saw this tweet about Vodafone's emergency 'network in a back pack'

Vodafone prepares to launch emergency ‘network in a backpack’ in Nepal - 11kg mobile network which can be set up in just 10 minutes

— Rory Cellan-Jones (@BBCRoryCJ) April 29, 2015

Its not the first time Vodafone is helping out with a Small cell in a backpack. According to WSJ:

Vodafone Group said Monday its philanthropic division has created a mobile network in a backpack that can be deployed in 10 minutes, enabling aid workers to carry out their work in disaster zones. 

The Instant Network Mini, which can be taken as hand luggage on commercial flights, can provide up to five concurrent calls within a radius of about 330 feet and enable text messages to be sent to thousands of people. 

The 24-pound backpack is an innovation that follows on from the company’s original Instant Network—a portable network in a larger form that can be transported in four suitcases weighing 220 pounds. It offers a much wider operating radius of up to 3 miles.

Two original Instant Network kits were used in the Philippines during Typhoon Haiyan in November 2013, enabling 1.4 million text messages and 443,288 calls in 29 days, Vodafone says. 

The backpack, developed by Vodafone’s Spanish business, as well as Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei Technologies and nongovernment organization Télécoms Sans Frontières, provides a secure 2G GSM network, with a GSM base transceiver station connecting to a host network over a satellite connection. 

A 2G (short for second-generation) network can support voice calls and text messages but can’t easily handle Web surfing or video, unlike the 3G and 4G networks in wide consumer use.

In African countries, having a network allows people to use services like M-Pesa, for instant money transfers to friends and family. Vodafone has also donated £100,000 to support relief efforts following Nepal earthquake that killed more than 3,300 people.

Do let me know if I have missed anything.

Additional reading:

• How mobile tech is improving global disaster relief - BBC
• Part 1: How Satellite Made a Difference in Nepal - Via Satellite Magazine
• Part 2: How Satellite Made a Difference in Nepal - Via Satellite Magazine

Rural and Remote coverage back in spotlight

The Small Cell Forum recently launched its Release 5: Rural & Remote to address the growing concern of especially rural coverage that is plaguing many developed nations.


The release contains 16 new and updated documents ranging from case studies of small cells already used in a range of rural and remote settings, through to those covering backhaul, deployment challenges, architectures and the services that can be enabled by small cells.

From my point of view, backhaul is one of the biggest challenge for the rural and remote coverage. As I have discussed in an earlier post here, satellites are a good option for rural small cells. The main issue with satellites is latency which could be around 0.5 seconds which may make them unsuitable for voice and other real time applications. Another option being trialled are Balloons and Drones as I have discussed in another post here.

The Australian operator Telstra is rolling out small cells in around 50 rural areas. While the small cells would be good for 4G data, they wouldnt be available for voice. While I do not have the details on what backhaul they are using and the voice issues could be more of VoLTE support on handsets, I am sure the users would appreciate the data coverage. If latency is not an issue then they could use OTT services like Skype, Whatsapp, Viber for voice.

The UK operator EE has been working with Parallel Wireless to use innovative mesh backhauling. Part of the licensed spectrum (20MHz chunk of EE‘s 1800MHz LTE spectrum) could be used for backhaul which would be different from the access network for the end users. The meshing allows in theory for the small cell to macro connection, with a couple of hops, be as much as 30km.

As I have mentioned in a post earlier, Vodafone UK has its own Rural Sure Signal program. Vodafone claims to have received hundreds of applications from communities across the length and breadth of the UK. Following a trial covering 12 towns and villages, it has now announced the first 30 communities selected to join the programme, which it is hoped will enhance everyday life for consumers and make it easier to do business in rural areas. There is a plan to continue this program for the rest of this year.

ThinkSmallCell has an interesting article where it asks if the drive towards the rural coverage is operator driven or regulator mandated. While it is a combination of both is most developed countries, in some developing nations it can just be that people are desperate and will find their own way. One example is people in remote villages in Mexico that are installing open source base stations from NuRAN to provide coverage to their villages. Another example is Nepal, where villagers are banding together to provide WiFi coverage to rural areas.

Opensource is another concept argues ThinkSmallCell that may also be an opportunity to connect some of the most remote and unserved communities which commercial organisations haven't been able to reach. It may also be useful for experiments and for colleges and universities with limited budgets. PA consultants have shown how to create a 2G base station using Raspberry-Pi. I have a feeling that we will see more projects like these soon.