A British water company has equipped its emergency response teams with BGAN terminals, reports Inmarsat. Managers at Wessex Water reportedly decided to upgrade their communications systems to support the rapid deployment of emergency teams in remote areas without reliable cellular coverage. They opted for a solution from Inmarsat partner Hughes which offers automatic failover from 3G service.
The company provides water and sewage services to 1.3 million people across the south-west of England. Previously emergency teams had reportedly found it difficult to operate in areas with little or no wireless 3G coverage. The company, therefore, wanted a communications solution that enabled staff to stay in contact during emergencies such as flooding.
Hughes’ on-the-move solution uses its compact and lightweight Hughes 9450 BGAN terminal, which keeps communication channels open when cellular coverage is not available and synchronises communications between mobile units and the command centre. It also allows them to stream live video from the scene of incidents.
“We’re proud to have been chosen by Wessex Water for this critically important service,” says Chris O’Dell, Vice-President of Sales and Marketing at Hughes Europe.
“Wessex Water’s engineers previously faced an uncertain communications environment when responding to a major incident. This highly available solution employing our rugged and easy-to-use mobile terminal ensures reliable communications among the response units, no matter the conditions and where they may be.”
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