TSF to flies to Chile Earthquake zone

01-03-2010 - A team of communications specialists from aid agency Télécoms Sans Frontières (TSF) has flown to Chile in response to one of the most powerful earthquakes in the world for 100 years.

Inmarsat-sponsored TSF dispatched a team from its base in Nicaragua to provide vital communications technical assistance for local and international relief agencies in the worst-affected zones.

The quake, which measured 8.8 on the Richter scale, struck at 01:00 local time on Saturday, 27 February, centred on a 90km area around the the city of Concepción, 340km (212 miles) south of the capital, Santiago.

Reinforcements
Aftershocks of 7.5 continued to batter the country and the death toll, initially estimated at about 700, is expected to rise further because of the number of missing people.
A spokesman for TSF said: "We believe that telecommunications in Chile have been damaged considerably - and the fact that the airport at Santiago is closed because of the destruction caused - means that access will be very difficult.
"Chile's president Michelle Bachelet has indicated priority will be given to getting communications functioning.

Tsunami warnings
"We have deployed a team of ICT specialists from our regional base in Managua and we will be sending reinforcements as quickly as possible from our headquarters in France and Bangkok."
Each TSF team is equipped with BGAN to provide support for emergency co-ordination centres, as well as Inmarsat Mini M for humanitarian calling operations.

Fears the quake could send a tsunami across the Pacific led to the Tsunami Warning Centre, based in Hawaii, issuing warnings to 53 countries. Shore authorities subsequently released alerts to shipping on the SafetyNET Inmarsat C Enhanced Group Call (EGC) system.
The Tsunami Warning Centre later lifted the warnings when the waves that came ashore on Japan proved to be minimal.

Source: Inmarsat

Iditarod Sled Dog Race

Iridium Communications Inc. is providing satellite voice and data services for the Iditarod® Sled Dog Race, which began March 5 in Anchorage, Alaska.

Each of the participating sleds is equipped with a lightweight battery-powered GPS tracking device, which will transmit the sled's location, speed, heading, altitude and air temperature every 15 minutes through the Iridium satellite network to provide a vital safety communications lifeline for the race's mushers, dogs and volunteers. Race officials and fans can view the latest position and status of each competitor on a 3-D map on the Iditarod Website. This not only comes in handy for race monitoring, but also because it allows for a regular stream of data on the racers and sled dogs. 55 Iridium satellite phones will be used by race officials and volunteers during the race.

The Iditarod trail, which snakes across more than 1,000 miles through the Alaskan wilderness from Anchorage to Nome, covers some of the world's harshest terrain. Most of the route – particularly through the center of Alaska – is not covered by terrestrial landlines, cellular networks or other satellite communication services.

"Iridium is the only satellite system providing reliable coverage in all of Alaska," said Stan Hooley, executive director of the Iditarod Trail Committee (ITC). "The Iridium tracking devices and phone handsets will again provide a critical safety lifeline for mushers, dogs, veterinarians, medics, media, bush pilots and volunteers who man the isolated checkpoints along the trail."

Source: Iridium.com