Backing the Backups: Ensuring satellites are ready to restore communications when ground systems fail

Satellites are the defacto communications technology when disaster strikes because of their resilience, broad coverage and speed to deploy.

Space-based connectivity serves as a critical lifeline when natural disasters disrupt cell towers and other terrestrial infrastructure, which are increasingly vulnerable as catastrophes become more frequent due to climate change.

However, satellite connectivity still requires ground equipment, which must be shipped to areas that are often hard to reach in times of crisis. Even after arrival, the equipment sometimes needs trained professionals to bring communities back online.

Despite the growing need to ensure space-based backups are ready the instant they are needed, support and funding for this critical infrastructure remain uncertain.

Self-sufficiency

SpaceX prides itself on how intuitive its Starlink low Earth orbit (LEO) broadband terminals are to set up for the average user, compared with legacy satellite services, making its network particularly useful for disaster relief.

FEMA is sending 40 Starlink kits to North Carolina to support responder communications in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. The storm, one of the deadliest in recent U.S. history, struck in late September and disabled cellular services and power for millions.

FEMA said it is shipping an additional 140 kits to the state to assist with communications infrastructure restoration.

Starlink has also announced a free month of service for anyone affected by the storm, not including the cost of ordering and shipping the user terminal.

However, Starlink has faced hurdles in securing long-term government support despite proving invaluable in providing critical connectivity during crises like these.

Last year, the Federal Communications Commission upheld a decision to deny Starlink nearly $900 million in subsidies to connect rural areas across the United States, including more than 19,552 locations in North Carolina, amid doubts the service could hit speed requirements amid capacity constraints.

“Had the FCC not illegally revoked the SpaceX Starlink award, it would probably have saved lives in North Carolina,” SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said Oct. 2, following social media posts of private citizens donating and setting up Starlink in areas with communication backouts.

The FCC has reaffirmed it is an independent agency that makes decisions based on facts, pointing to how Starlink was among a dozen companies denied funding after failing to meet the requirements of the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund.

Meanwhile, legacy geostationary operator Intelsat is sending terminals to help restore connectivity in North Carolina via Help.NGO, an international emergency response non-profit.

“Intelsat and many of our [mobile network operator] partners are working around the clock to turn on emergency connectivity and assess long-term infrastructure repairs,” Intelsat spokesperson Melissa Longo said Oct. 2 via email.

AT&T said it had restored more than 82% of affected cell sites as of Oct. 2, thanks to satellite connectivity, in an impact region spreading far beyond North Carolina.

Telcos such as AT&T leverage SatCOLTS (Satellite Cell on Light Trucks) and other portable devices capable of providing connectivity until all final repairs are made.

“They are waiting for the Army to clear the more rural mountain roads before they can even assess damage to internet and landlines,” Longo added.

Still, any delay in restoring connectivity is growing more untenable in an increasingly digital world.

“The ongoing cell phone service outage remains a massive hurdle, hindering recovery and preventing many from checking on loved ones,” Zeb Smathers, mayor of Canton in North Carolina, said Oct. 1, days after Helene swept through the area.

“I’ve made it clear to political leaders at every level that this is unacceptable.”

Countries that are more vulnerable to natural disasters also tend to be less resilient and prepared to deal with communication blackouts, according to Christian Patouraux, CEO of Pacific-focused geostationary broadband operator Kacific.

“When disaster strikes, essentially you’ve got to go knock at different doors, and it takes time, and that time is critical,” Patouraux said Sept. 17 during World Satellite Business Week in Paris, “and unfortunately, populations suffer during that time.”

No more signal drops

Providing emergency connectivity is one of the near-term use cases highlighted by companies developing satellite constellations capable of directly connecting to existing smartphones.

Globalstar has been using its L-band satellite network to enable SOS services on Apple’s latest iPhones since 2022 in the United States and a handful of other countries.

SpaceX and AST SpaceMobile are also initially targeting the United States for constellations that would bring connectivity to a broader range of smartphones already in circulation, mainly because the country has a relatively higher average revenue per user (ARPU).

Direct-to-smartphone venture Lynk Global is an outlier and has already rolled out intermittent text and basic emergency connectivity services in a handful of island nations.

However, Lynk Global has yet to publish any revenues for its business as it seeks to merge with a publicly listed shell company to raise the funds it needs to expand the constellation.

Regulatory approvals and interference concerns are also sizable obstacles to direct-to-smartphone services in the United States and many other countries.

Voice, data, and other satellite-enabled services that go beyond basic messaging are also several years away from being widely available.

Technology tamfitronics Be prepared

Satellite broadband providers such as Kacific are calling on countries worldwide to do more to ensure satellite equipment is ready the moment it is needed, particularly those where connectivity is already limited.

During the conference, Patouraux said incoming LEO constellation providers have been spreading misinformation about being “the only way to connect those remote areas, as if nothing had been done at the right price before … it couldn’t be further from the truth.”

He said geostationary satellites are already available, but “the problem is that there is no preparedness. There are no organizations that are lined up to actually take on this bandwidth and deploy it in case of disaster,” or establish some kind of definitive universal service obligation.

“The issue with disasters and emergency connectivity is that nobody wants to prepare for it,” Patouraux added.

“Nobody wants to pay for insurance, and essentially, it becomes very complicated for infrastructure providers or owners to assign connectivity to disasters.”

Despite these challenges, Patouraux said Kacific is starting to make money with its disaster backup services.

“You need to accept that people are not going to pay a lot,” he continued.

“It has to be a small token that people will pay, perhaps to pay a little bit more when the disaster happens — but you can’t charge them an arm and a leg when it happens because they will remember, and they will judge you, and your reputation will suffer.”

He said Kacific has recently started installing satellite dishes at customer sites alongside residential fiber, “knowing that they’re only going to use it when the disaster strikes, when this fiber is cut.”

Ultimately, he said the situation demands a coordinated effort from non-profits and philanthropic groups to establish a fund to ensure connectivity suppliers are ready to respond instantly — and are fairly compensated for their efforts.

This article first appeared in the October 2024 issue of SpaceNews Magazine. The FCC later granted SpaceX and its mobile partner T-Mobile temporary emergency permission to provide satellite-to-smartphone coverage in areas devastated by Hurricane Helene.