Lockheed Martin has developed a new system to connect remote regions in the event of an emergency.
The company’s LTE-over-Satellite system is designed to provide connectivity to remote regions, including areas without cellphone coverage, boats on the water, or during natural disasters like hurricanes, wildfires, earthquakes, catastrophic floods or volcanoes.
These new hotspots connect existing phones to satellites for reliable 4G connections.
“When disaster strikes, cell phone networks often go down – whether because of the event or because of the sheer volume of traffic,” Maria Demaree, vice president and general manager of Mission Solutions at Lockheed Martin Space, said. “So, it’s important to have new ways to connect families and first responders with people who would be otherwise cut off from contact.”
Lockheed Martin’s LTE-over-Satellite system will combine the capabilities of satellite phones, which are used by first responders during emergencies, with people’s existing commercial phone. It will enable people to connect to a pop-up cellular network that is connected directly to a satellite.
The system isn’t limited to use during natural disaster or terrorist attacks, it can be potentially used in a variety of situations. For example, they could be used by offshore fisherman located far from cell towers, remote mineral production outposts, scientific and research stations, and in agriculture operations.
Hotspots can also be mounted to vehicles, trucks, or ships to provide even more connectivity. In this way, hotspots could follow first responders straight to the scene without a separate device.