Emergency communication, disaster control, blackout

In the event of a disaster, the landline and cellular networks may break down immedi­ately. But if you depend on commu­ni­cation — especially in emergencies — then you should have a satellite phone ready.

Mobile devices

We recommend easy-to-use and intuitive devices such as the Iridium 9555, Iridium 9575 Extreme or the Inmarsat IsatPhone 2 or Thuraya XT-LITE, Thuraya XT-PRO.

Iridium, Inmarsat and Thuraya are both the equipment manufac­turers and the operators of the satellite network. Unlike mobile commu­ni­ca­tions, neither SIM cards nor devices can be operated in the foreign network. An Iridium satellite phone therefore only works with an Iridium SIM card and only sees Iridium satel­lites. The same applies to Inmarsat and Thuraya.

There are also solutions that turn your smart­phone into a satellite phone. We expressly do not recommend these for emergency commu­ni­cation. In an emergency, there could be diffi­culties in pairing the satellite phone with the smart­phone, or the appro­priate app on the smart­phone may no longer be up to date.

When deciding on a satellite network, you should consider who you want or need to commu­nicate with. It is unfor­tu­nately very expensive to make calls from one satellite network to another. Of course, money is no object when human lives are at stake, but if you can plan it, you should avoid phone calls between different satellite networks.

After purchasing the equipment, do not leave it constantly in the closet, waiting for an emergency. Because then they probably won’t work in the event of an emergency. In addition to the technical limita­tions such as battery mainte­nance, firmware updates and, if necessary, topping up credit, the people who need it in an emergency should also be familiar with its use.

For all emergency commu­ni­cation devices, we recommend only contract cards and no prepaid solutions that are to be recharged only when needed (emergency). Even with a small-scale disaster like the one in the Ahr Valley (Germany) in July 2021, we had a lot of calls to reactivate and recharge cards as quickly as possible. If a disaster occurs where we are also unavailable, that is not a solution. Likewise, if a more widespread disaster occurred, we would also not be able to serve you quickly enough due to the volume of requests.

We should not be part of your emergency response chain. Also an emergency response unit should always be functional and ready for use. You ensure this by:

• Making regular test calls
  Firstly, you can see if the device is actually working and secondly, this way you are familiar with its operation.
• Battery care
  The batteries in the phones as well as any spare batteries should be regularly charged and at least partially discharged. This can be done manually, but external battery chargers with charge management are optionally available.
• Firmware updates
  It is really essential to keep the firmware on the phones up to date. Please sign up for our Update-Service for your devices. So you will be informed automat­i­cally when a new firmware is released and you can update your device shortly.

Devices for the operations center

Unlike your smart­phone, satellite phones need a visual link to the satellite. This only works indoors with an external antenna on the roof.

There are two possible device options:

You use the same phone that mobile units carry — combined with a docking station. The docking station, also called docker or dock, is connected to the external antenna via special high-frequency cables. Ideally, the docker has an uninter­ruptible power supply (UPS). If necessary, the phone can be taken out of the docker and used on the move.

Alter­na­tively, there are also data modems, such as the Iridium MissionLINK 200 or Iridium MissionLINK 700, which offer 3 simul­ta­neous telephone lines. Here you need an outdoor antenna, too. Another advantage is that these devices also allow you to transmit data at up to 700 kbps via satellite. In contrast, the Iridium LT-3100 is designed as a pure satellite telephone system for demanding use.

Devices for vehicles

The combi­nation of docking station plus satellite telephone or systems with data trans­mission and telephony are also available for emergency commu­ni­ca­tions in vehicles. For example, with the Inmarsat Explorer 323 or the Iridium MissionLink 700, commu­ni­cation is also possible while driving.