The phone was first invented in 1876 and today, it is the most common method people use to communicate with each other. People often take today’s easy communication methods for granted. If you want to communicate with someone, all you have to do is email someone, call someone on the phone, or text them.
However, these methods may not always be available, especially in emergency situations. For that reason, satellite communication is extremely important. Satellite communication is a very unique form of communication that is usually used in emergencies, and it is far more important than you might expect.
But what is so special about this type of connectivity and what does it have to do with satellites? More than that, why wouldn’t regular means of communication like phones work in emergencies? Keep reading and learn more about this information below.
Why Ordinary Communication Methods Don’t Work in Emergencies
A lot of people don’t understand how cell phones work. Cell phones don’t magically work just because they have a charged battery in them. Instead, they rely on cell towers.
You surely have seen cell towers while driving down the street at some point. They are very tall metal towers that are often taller than most of their surrounding structures. These cell towers possess cell sites that allow them to reflect cellular energy. These towers have very large ranges and they communicate with other cell towers that may be miles and miles away.
As long as a phone user is in the range of these cell towers, they should be able to use their phone without any problems. However, during an emergency situation, this may no longer be possible. For example, suppose there is a natural disaster such as a hurricane that completely destroys all nearby cell towers.
The Details
This would also destroy all cellular usage in the area. This is because there would be no cell towers to direct cellular energy into your mobile device, rendering it useless and unable to contact anyone. As you can imagine, using cell phones would not be ideal for emergency responders who absolutely need to stay in contact with each other.
But what about radios? While radio communication can be a good substitute for some emergencies, it tends to have a lot of problems. For one, there are hundreds and even thousands of different radio frequencies.
Some of these frequencies aren’t even compatible with each other. This, as you can imagine, can make it difficult, if not impossible for some emergency responders to connect with other responders. When responders are dealing with matters of life and death, they can’t afford to be dealing with technical problems concerning their radios.
For that reason, satellite communications are extremely important. But what exactly is satellite communication and how does it compare to radio or cell phone communication? More importantly, is it the better choice in emergency situations?
Why Satellite Communication Is So Important
As the name suggests, satellite communication has to do with satellites. Satellites are artificial structures that are in Earth’s orbit. They are designed to receive and transmit information to pretty much any point on the planet.
This is possible due to the fact that these satellites circle the Earth and are, as a result, able to provide a means of communication to anyone in the world that has the right technology to take advantage of this form of communication. As a result, communication is possible even in scenarios of extreme disaster and even when normal methods of communication such as cell towers are destroyed.
There are around 2,000 satellites currently orbiting the earth. They are designed to carry all sorts of information to Earth. This includes ordinary data as well as video and digital information.
From this information alone, you can tell that satellite communication is very advanced. Besides that, it is very important for emergencies. As mentioned before, cell signals are virtually impossible to get in emergencies.
Radio communication may also not be a valid or reliable option either. But satellite communication is one of the most reliable forms of communication in emergencies. This is because this type of communication will work as long as the satellites in space are intact.
What You Need to Know
This will allow emergency responders to contact each other without any problems. But how can you take advantage of this type of communication? Usually, an emergency control center is required.
This center is usually a device that can connect with the satellites in the Earth’s orbit. They are sometimes called mobile command centers. This is because they are small enough to remain mobile.
This is essential in very large emergency zones or war zones. The size of a mobile control center will vary. Usually, they are the size of a very small trailer or small vehicle.
They can often be dragged behind a vehicle like a trailer so that they are easy to move. As long as these control centers are available, emergency responders should be able to communicate with each other via satellite. Satellite phones may also be available in some cases.
All About Satellite Communication for Emergencies
Satellite communication is important for a variety of reasons. For one, it is one of the most reliable forms of communication in emergency situations. This is because ordinary methods like cell phones will likely not be able to work.
Radio communication may also be spotty and unreliable. But satellite communication uses satellites in space to be as reliable as possible. To learn more about this form of communication, contact us here.