Satellite Communications for Large Scale Disasters - In search of a robust society

摘要

The Great earthquake and tsunami on 11, March, 2011 destroyed the communications infrastructure over wide areas in Tohoku regions. Great efforts were made for prompt recovery of the communication infrastructure; many emergency vehicles with power supply and transportable BTS functions were dispatched in the disaster areas. It was soon recognized that recovery of the damaged optical fiber entrance links would take so long that the demand for satellite communication suddenly surged. The satellite communication systems available in Japan were fully mobilized. IPSTAR system was also widely used for the entrances links for mobile communication operators and also for the Internet connections in the emergency facilities. The great natural disaster clarified the essential roles of satellite communications in emergency situations. In this paper we will report how satellite communications including IPSTAR were used for the relief efforts, review the problems and propose a few improvements and new applications of satellite communications for the future.