News Keeping you up to date
27th September 2017

What role does Satcoms play in the Hurricane Season?

With Hurricane season at its peak across the Atlantic, our knowledgeable team in the Americas have been working hard around the clock supporting customers in affected regions, especially in the last fortnight as Hurricane Irma approached US mainland. The ‘Category 5’ hurricane reportedly reached a maximum wind speed of 185mph, with an initial footprint of more than 500 miles peaking at 800 miles in width.

Now that the National Hurricane Centre at the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration are predicting that Hurricane Jose is moving south-eastward over the southwest Atlantic between the Bahamas and Bermuda, our team on the ground in the US are advising communities to remain alert and prepared, helping to equip those in vulnerable locations with reliable emergency communications solutions.  

At Satcom Global we have a range of satellite communications solutions available to those still looking to acquire backup communications for assistance with relief efforts or in advance of any additional bad weather or future emergencies. Our friendly and helpful team are experts in remote communications solutions, such as satellite phone handsets like the IsatPhone 2, Iridium 9555, and the Iridium 9575 Extreme, the most rugged and durable handset for extreme environments. In addition, we are also well placed to recommend Inmarsat BGAN Solutions offering portable voice and high speed data to those in remote locations.

As relief efforts are underway across the Caribbean and Florida with many homes and businesses left without terrestrial methods of communication, plus the threat of further extreme weather looming, it is vital that existing satellite communications equipment that has gone unused for a long period of time, is tested to be in full working order in case it is needed. In our last article we looked specifically at testing satellite devices, and you can check it out here. To assist our customers and ensure they are confident in using emergency communications both for hurricane preparedness and as part of relief efforts, we have been updating our Resources library with quick guides for some of our top remote communications solutions.

Firstly, to find out how to make a phone call from an Inmarsat BGAN phone, or call to call a BGAN terminal, please check out our ‘Quick Guide – Making calls Over Inmarsat BGAN’.

In addition, further information on the Iridium Push-To-Talk emergency communications solution can be found in our new ‘Quick Guide – Iridium PTT Command Centre’ which details how to add new devices to talkgroups as well as define new service regions as the situation develops.

Also available in the Satcom Global Resources library are quick start guides to the Iridium 9505A, Iridium 9555 and iridium 9575 Extreme satellite phones.

Please get in contact with our team on the ground in the Americas at [email protected] today if you have any questions about acquiring or testing satellite communications equipment, or would like advice on the best solution for your needs.

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Hurricane Satellite Communications
A high percentage of framed homes will be destroyed, with total roof failure and wall collapse. Power outages will last for weeks to possibly months. Most of the area will be uninhabitable for weeks or months"
US National Hurricane Centre