After Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico, devastation ensued. Besides the essentials like food and water, residents quickly realized that something else was sorely missing – access to communication.
The hurricane wiped out the island’s already weak electric grid and most cell towers. Currently, 22 percent of cell towers remain out of service, according to the FCC. Now, towers are being powered by diesel fuel, which is not sustainable from a financial or reliability standpoint.
According to Frank Schott, vice president of global programs at nonprofit NetHope, “Puerto Rico had a grid that was near obsolete. Most of it probably isn’t repairable.” Because of this, many government officials, residents, tech companies, and nonprofits are seeking more innovative solutions.
Due to the need for better connectivity quickly, resident Javier Malavé, a former engineer within Texas Instrument’s communication infrastructure business unit, and others, offered solutions that didn’t require bulky infrastructure, reported Quartz.
Malavé connected with Brooklyn-based startup goTenna, maker of handheld devices that send short-range texts without using cell towers. He also learned that his friend Ricardo Alfaro, former IT director for the governor of Puerto Rico’s office, was working with a different experimental solution: using antennas produced by Garmin to enable long-range texting via satellite. The two joined forces and started a crowdfunding campaign to deploy both technologies, powered by solar panels, according to Quartz.
In another effort, Alphabet’s Project Loon – in partnership with AT&T and T-Mobile – has been testing beaming internet originating from giant balloons for people with LTE-enabled phones. The service has delivered connectivity to more than 100,000 people, the company said in a statement.
Additionally, Microsoft conducted trials of its TV White Space technology to re-establish internet connections. The technology delivers broadband through the unused broadcasting frequencies between TV channels, reported Inside Towers.
“Companies like Google and Microsoft are investing in some very promising technologies that could change the landscape for emergency response,” says Schott.
December 26, 2017
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