The Advantages of New Communications Technology in the Wake of Katrina

[SOURCE: Mobile Satellite Ventures press release]
In a study issued Monday by Mobile Satellite Ventures (MSV), recognized telecommunications experts Dale Hatfield and Phil Weiser, both Professors of Interdisciplinary Telecommunications at the University of Colorado, review how public safety communications systems failed to operate effectively during Hurricane Katrina. They also outline the requirements for an ideal public safety network, in particular, how public safety agencies should support the development of the next generation architecture of hybrid satellite and terrestrial systems as a critical tool in public safety. Hatfield and Weiser explain that the optimal public safety communications architecture should be a vibrant and flexible system that accommodates different technologies. In particular, the system should incorporate traditional public safety land mobile radio systems (LMRs) into a broader architecture that includes satellite, terrestrial and emerging wireless broadband networks. With the advent of mobile satellite services’ ancillary terrestrial component (ATC) offering (which can switch seamlessly between satellite and terrestrial networks), the benefits of this hybrid approach are substantial, including low cost access to a fully interoperable, reliable, ubiquitous network. The authors challenge policymakers to provide the leadership necessary to make this important technology a reality by urging them to ensure that satellite and terrestrial providers are afforded the opportunity to develop and finance effective offerings for public safety agencies
http://www.msvlp.com/pr/news_releases_view.cfm?id=75

* Toward a Next Generation Strategy: Learning from Katrina and Taking Advantage of New Technologies
http://www.msvlp.com/nextgen/vision/papers.cfm