Ensuring Internet Continuity for Critical Infrastructure and Response Teams

The Emergency Management Agency for a large state on the east coast is responsible for supporting citizens and critical infrastructure (such as power plants, water supply and utilities) during times of crisis – whether natural or man-made.
 

Challenge

Communication capability is imperative to the agency’s mission. Citizens, emergency management personnel and government workers all must have information access during a state- or county-wide crisis. The Emergency Management Agency can’t afford an Internet outage, especially during a disaster, and sought a way to reinforce its terrestrial network to maintain communications continuity, no matter what happens.
 

Hughes Solution

The Emergency Management Agency chose to build network redundancy and resilience by deploying satellite-enabled communications as a backup to terrestrial broadband and for mobile communications to support emergency response teams across the state.

The deployment includes:

• Approximately 80 fixed satellite VSATs installed in offices across 69 counties, enabling automatic failover to satellite communications in case the primary network connections go down.

• Portable flyaway kits for fire trucks so that first responders can get connected and coordinate efforts during any crisis, be it fighting forest fires or searching for flood victims.

Satellite connectivity for Internet continuity is an ideal solution for agencies that can’t let an Internet outage hinder critical infrastructure functions and emergency response teams. This cost-effective solution delivers connectivity to every network site, including hard-to-reach remote locations.
 

Hughes Technology

• When the primary cable, fiber or DSL service goes down, the network automatically routes traffic to the satellite backup to keep systems online.

• Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) consisting of a “dish” (antenna) and a router or user terminal, with fixed installation at every site to enable service.

• For mobile needs, the Hughes HTS Flyaway solution kits offer portable, rugged, manual-point satellite terminals that can be rapidly deployed for reliable voice and data communications in areas without wireline connectivity. Terminals are built with the industry-leading JUPITERTM technology and optimized to operate throughout North America with the reliable High-throughput Satellite (HTS) service from Hughes, which delivers up to 25 Mbps download and up to 3 Mbps upload speeds.