Cellular network recovery kit targets hurricane states

BEFORE THE Hurricane season starts to hit Eastern seaboard of the US again in earnest, Altobridge has teamed up with satellite network provider, Inmarsat, to provide an instant cellular network recovery kit.

The objective is to provide key personnel with a cellular network cell that will cover a several mile radius and will work with ordinary mobile phones. Known as a 'Remote Contiguous Communications (RCC) unit, it's small enough to be carried by a person.

To provide the connexion back to the outside world, you need to hook up the RCC to one of Inmarsat's BGAN lightweight, portable terminals. BGAN (Broadband Global Area Network) hooks up mobile phones to both data and voice communications.

Obviously, you don't want everybody to start using the system, so Altobridge provides 'Subscriber Access Control' software so that only known handsets can start making calls. The company doesn't say how you power the thing up, but small and portable petrol/diesel power generators are readily available.

The system also has military applications as well as being targeted at emergency services. µ