Less than six months ago, America experienced some of the most devastating wildfires in its history, when numerous simultaneous blazes across Southern California burned a combined 57,000 acres, forced the evacuation of more than 200,000 people and led to more than 30 deaths and $20 billion in damages.
When these devastating disasters strike, the terrestrial and cellular networks that residents and first responders rely on for essential communications and situational awareness tools and capabilities are among the first casualties. As Alison Poste, an emergency management professional based in British Columbia, told Scientific American following the devastating 2023 fires in Maui, “Every disaster I’ve been a part of, every disaster I’ve read about, communications are the first to go.”
The indiscriminate destruction of natural disasters impacts network infrastructure and equipment just like it impacts homes and businesses. Satellite communications have previously played a disaster recovery role, delivering critical communications needed for a collaborative, effective, and efficient response effort. This most often has been done with mobile cell sites called Cell on Wheels (COWs) and Cell on Light Truck (COLTS) that use satellite connectivity for backhaul.
First responders may soon have a new tool that could enable ubiquitous communications anywhere on Earth—even when disaster strikes.
But first responders may soon have a new tool that could enable ubiquitous communications anywhere on Earth—even when disaster strikes.
D2D enters the chat
Earlier this year, T-Mobile announced that it was partnering with Starlink to enable direct-to-device (D2D) satellite connectivity for its customers. The addition of D2D satellite capabilities was expected to increase the coverage and service area for T-Mobile customers, delivering access to basic text messaging services to practically anywhere in the country that is serviced by the Starlink satellite constellation in low earth orbit (LEO).
While this initial service is limited to text capabilities, T-Mobile claims that it plans to expand D2D capabilities to include voice and data services in the future.
T-Mobile is not alone when it comes to adopting D2D. AT&T and Verizon have both announced plans to partner with AST SpaceMobile to enable D2D capabilities for their customers. And, most recently, AT&T’s FirstNet—the first wireless service dedicated for first responders—announced that it had received approval to test the use of D2D on its critical emergency communications network.
Much like how D2D is enabling ubiquitous coverage for cellular customers, the technology could function to ensure first responders have connectivity no matter where they’re operating.
“From a public safety perspective, D2D can give emergency responders what they call ubiquitous coverage or coverage extension,” said Peter Kibutu, who leads the 5G Non-Terrestrial Network activities at TTP, a product and technology consultancy that works in the wireless communications industry. “It’s impossible to achieve a cellular network with no coverage gaps or holes. D2D can eliminate those gaps and provide coverage to first responders practically anywhere.”
That coverage extension is important because even networks like FirstNet have limitations in more geographically remote locations, said Mohammad Baig, lead product manager at AT&T.
“Remote areas can still be a challenge for public safety professionals who need reliable, consistent coverage to complete their mission.” -Mohammad Baig, AT&T
“The FirstNet network encompasses 250,000 square miles more than commercial networks, on average,” he said. “However, remote areas can still be a challenge for public safety professionals who need reliable, consistent coverage to complete their mission. This includes places like national parks, where thousands of search and rescue missions are conducted each year.”
But D2D could far more than simply extend network coverage. It could also add a new layer or level of resiliency and assuredness to cellular networks in emergency and disaster response scenarios.
More than a bubble of connectivity
Historically, in natural disaster and emergency response scenarios, satellite has been used to restore critical communications through the deployment of COLTS or COWS. But the coverage provided by COLTS and COWS is limited.
“Often what communications companies will do is deliver a COLT or a COW to a centralized control center or operations center,” Kibutu said. This delivers essential communications to the first responders in a relatively small but strategically important area. D2D would effectively push critical communications out to the edge, to first responders in the field.”
“D2D would effectively push critical communications out to the edge, to first responders in the field.” -Peter Kibutu, TTP
This is an essential new capability, since there are often limited numbers of COLTS and COWS available in emergency response scenarios and there are limitations to where COLTS and COWS can be deployed.
“If a natural disaster impacts a very large geographic area, or if a natural disaster is constantly shifting or moving rapidly—like a wildland fire or a tornado—it can be very difficult to provide hotspot coverage via a COLT or a COW,” said Kibutu. “There aren’t enough COWS or COLTS to replace the entire communications infrastructure for a large area. And a COLT deployed near where firefighters are actively fighting a blaze could be destroyed by the very fire that they’re fighting.”
While D2D could deliver communications over a large geographic area that’s been impacted by a natural disaster, it cannot currently deliver the same level of capacity and bandwidth as a deployed cellular hotspot from a COW or COLT. This means that any D2D capacity implemented today in a disaster and emergency response scenario would need to be a complement to those deployable systems.
“Public safety stakeholders across the country have recognized the importance of satellite connectivity for years, identifying portable solutions like Satellite COLTs as a ‘must have’ solution,” Baig said. “While [D2D] will not replace the deployable assets, it will complement their reach, adding to our multi-layered approach to the network that includes the terrestrial build, in-building solutions, deployable assets, and satellite.”
But even limited bandwidth could be useful when responding to a natural disaster, Kibutu said, “D2D can deliver basic communication at the edge when disaster strikes,” he said. “And when you’re conducting search and rescue, or fighting a wildfire, some communication is better than no communication.”
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