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Emergency services face unique challenges that combine to require a unique solution. These challenges include keeping data secure for moving vehicles that traverse diverse terrain, a vast number of rural areas that have little or no cellular connectivity and often operating in extreme environments.
Emergency services with fixed sites and vehicles need reliable and flexible connectivity to ensure they provide services in the most efficient and secure manner. Because of these unique challenges, when choosing between satellite or cellular for the most reliable solution to provide connectivity for emergency services, the answer could be simple: use both.
Regional Sales Manager, Ericsson.
What are LEO Satellites?
Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite internet systems, such as Starlink by SpaceX, is tailored for organizations operating in rural or remote areas lacking cellular infrastructure. Starlink provides an alternative connection when cellular service is spotty or not available. However, there are limitations surrounding LEO satellite capacity and cost. Set up costs and ongoing subscription fees, plus impacts from weather can make satellite as primary connectivity a challenge for emergency services that have vehicles moving between urban and rural areas.
The combination of LEO satellites and 5G provides enhanced connectivity by creating a more resilient network and supplying more bandwidth. Combining the strengths of Starlink’s expansive coverage and the advanced capabilities of 5G, emergency services can maintain operations, no matter the location. Pairing the two technologies offers high-performance, reliable, secure WAN access.
Use Case: Multi-WAN network failover
For organizations with fixed sites, relying on wired connectivity as the primary link is common. However, ensuring reliable backup solutions are in place is crucial for maintaining uninterrupted operations. If a wired line goes down due to infrastructure or weather issues, using 5G as the failover link can mean zero connectivity loss for an organization. Should the cellular link become unavailable, network traffic can then fail over to the satellite link.
Use Case: Failover from cellular to satellite
Consider an emergency services base with a fixed site that needs to be online 24/7 but operates in a remote location with some cellular coverage available. Where wired lines are not available, cellular becomes the primary link. While the cellular link handles traffic under normal conditions, it automatically fails over to satellite if the performance declines or the link is inaccessible for any reason.
Use Case: Critical communication in moving vehicles
Given that wired connectivity isn’t feasible in vehicles, leveraging a dual-modem router that supports multiple cellular carriers for wireless-to-wireless failover is optimal. Satellite can also be deployed as a third backup option where cellular isn’t available. For example, a fire truck battling a wildfire in a remote region might encounter limitations in cellular coverage. In such cases, satellite connectivity can serve as a failover link, ensuring continuous connectivity for mission-critical communications.
But what if there is no cellular coverage at all in the area that an organization is operating in? It is still important to deploy an enterprise class router for security and to provide advanced networking if dual Starlink connections are deployed, but which router and how connected devices are managed, is important.
What to look for in a provider
In addition to requiring an enterprise grade router that has the capability to manage complex link failover scenarios, there are three other key requirements to consider, especially for emergency services operators:
1. Simplified Management: Often emergency services organizations are under-resourced in IT and networking. Having a sophisticated network that can be easily managed by a small technical workforce is critical.
2. Security: While 5G cellular networks are well known for providing extremely secure connections based on intrinsic encryption, most LEO satellite systems have limited inherent security features.
3. Link Bonding: In some instances, it makes sense to combine several links into a single virtual path, so it is important to have a solution that provides flexibility for all types of architectures.
Looking for 5G routers which offer users connectivity with cellular, LEO satellites, and even wired connections is a must. Likewise, solutions which offer centralized management and visibility of all connected devices – including geolocation, connectivity status, and troubleshooting – ensures these devices will operate 24/7 without interruption.
Even though the 5G network provides inherent security, emergency services should also look for providers who include a zero-trust network which can replace traditional VPNs and private APNs. Zero trust SD-WAN enables resilient WAN links with link bonding and through fast failover to a secondary link: for example, switching from one cellular carrier to another that has a stronger signal, or switching from a cellular link to a satellite link. Advanced web security protects users from email and web attacks.
These solutions must also be quick to deploy and easy to manage from anywhere. This avoids adding workload to lean IT teams, and means they are not required to manage and deploy a separate security stack.
In summary
Regardless of the approach your organization may take, the powerful pairing of cellular and satellite promises a more resilient network for seamless connectivity. This combined connectivity ensures that emergency services can continue to operate effectively and securely in various environments, overcoming the challenges of limited or unreliable coverage.
By leveraging both technologies, emergency services can maintain critical communications links, enhance situational awareness, and ensure the timely delivery of services, ultimately improving public safety and operational efficiency.
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