There is a huge market for products which can be used to track people and vehicles. In commerce, tracking systems have been well established for many years. Delivery companies use tracking technology to help keep customers updated on when they can expect the parcel they have ordered. Individuals may also purchase individual trackers for use when participating in outdoor activities like Skiing or mountaineering.  

In the aid sector, tracking systems are used widely to manage fleet movements as well as tracking individuals in locations where security is poor.

In this article, we will explore various technologies and I will explain how they work. As previously mentioned, the market is huge and there are many good quality solutions available in addition to the technologies I will cover in this article. My intention is to explain the technologies and invite readers to carry out their own research. 

What is a tracker?

The most basic function of a tracker is to be able to obtain the real time location from a sensor such as GPS, and to communicate that location to a monitoring platform or to any third party as a message. It’s that simple!

Many trackers have additional features. Here are some examples:

• Ability to send and receive text messages.
• SOS button.
• Navigation features such as maps.
• For vehicles, more complex “In Vehicle Monitoring Systems” or IVMS will be able to send more detailed information about how the vehicle is being driven e.g. Speeding alerts.
• Where used at sea, marinized trackers may be able to receive navigational warnings and weather reports.

Let’s take a closer look at the key features,

Navigation sensor: Most tracking systems have a single GNSS sensor using the old USA GPS Service. Garmin is different to many of its competitors as it has three sensors consisting of GPS, Galileo and QZSS. Tracking systems with multiple sensors are likely to perform better where military actors may be jamming signals. (see my article on GNSS jamming Here)

Communications: The three main methods for sending location from the device to a monitoring portal are via satellite, cellular networks and Wi-Fi. Some trackers will only support one method, and others may support all three methods. Wi-Fi is a good feature as it means that devices will remain connected whilst inside a building.

Many satellite-based trackers use Iridium which is my preference as coverage is global. Spot is a brand of tracker from GlobalStar. It’s a reliable product, but GlobalStar does not offer full global coverage. It has significant gaps across Africa and Asia.

Hardware tested

Over four weeks I tested tracking on three devices. My tests included regular 30KM cycle trips and two 100KM + trips by car. All devices were tracked using the traksat.eu and Gamin Explore portals. The Garmin Inreach device was used on both portals.

Iridium Extreme: This model is at the is the high end satphone in the Iridium range. Whilst the PTT version was tested, the standard Extreme handset works with Traksat in the same way. This handset sends position data at regular intervals via the Iridium network. Four out trial, location sharing was set at 30 second intervals.

Samsung S23: Tracking can be used on most Android smart phones by installing the TrakLink app. This app will send out location updates as frequently as every second. For the test a 30 second setting was used. Position updates flow freely whilst there is good internet connectivity through 4G or a Wi-Fi network. When there is no connection, positions are retained and sent at the first opportunity when the device is connected.

Garmin Inreach: This is the smallest of devices tested. Inreach is very popular with people taking part in outward bound activities. Communications is available by Iridium only.  Position updates happen every 10 minutes as the test was conducted on a low lost tariff. Battery life exceeded 4 days during testing. In addition to tracking, Inreach can be used to send and receive short text messages.

I was really impressed with the overall design. The unit is compact, easy to use, and the SOS button has a built-in cover to prevent false alarms.

There are many other technologies on the market which we did not test. Other popular products include the Bivy Stick, NAL Research, Spot and many more…

Tracking Platforms

There is no point to investing in tracking solutions without having a method to monitor. Tracking platforms are provided with most technologies and often bundled as part of the subscription.

These platforms are full of features, too many to go into here. The most important feature is the map where current locations are displayed along with track history.

These platforms can be divided into two types. “Proprietary” which supports devices from a single brand, or “Open” which can display information from a wide range of brands.

Garmin (proprietary)
“Garmin Explore” is very flexible and aimed mainly at the leisure market. Only Garmin devices can be tracked. There are subscription levels which range from a cheaper option consisting of 30 minute position updates and 40 messages to a more expensive option consisting of 2 minute updates and unlimited messages.

Maps can be shared with third parties and automated functions such as geofencing are included (this is where third parties, and the device receives an alert if the user enters a pre-defined zone). All subscriptions include the SOS feature where emergency services and/or a registered contact will be called if the SOS button is pressed.

Like most retail products, Garmin Explore requires a credit card to pay for a subscription, so this may not work for larger organizations that require formal invoicing.

If more than one device needs to be tracked, organizations should use the business version of Garmin Explore (which may also have additional billing methods)

In the screenshot below, I have selected the track history from a recent trip to a shop. The time between each location has been set at 10 minutes due to the cheaper tariff I was signed up to. This time setting may be insufficient for some operations.

Traksat (Open)

Traksat is a spin off company from satellite telecoms provider IEC Telecom (Europe). The benefit of this system is that the platform is compatible with a wide range of trackers, satellite telephones and IVMS units. Other suppliers including Terramar, Novacom and Sicurotrak also operate open platforms. I would like to thank IEC Telecom and Traksat for allowing me to test this platform at no cost.

In the screenshot below, you can see the map showing three devices. In my trials I created a Geofence zone which is shown as the red shaded area. If any device enters the red zone, alerts can be sent to a selection of email addresses, and to the device to alert the user that they have moved into a designated zone.

Some organizations are running Security Operations Centers (SOCs) where staff will constantly monitor screens and coordinate staff movements. For smaller organizations without SOCs, automation tools such as Geofence alerts can be set up to go to security managers so further actions can be taken.

During the testing, I was tracking three devices. Two devices in the screenshot are shown in the correct location. The helicopter icon represents the Garmin Inreach which is only sending out position every 30 minutes due to the low tariff we signed up to for the trial.

Many of these tools are designed for fleet management as well and have many capabilities such as sending alerts when speed limits are broken, and other events related to poor driving standards.

Conclusion

Tracking is a very mature market full of many choices. For small organizations, retail solutions like Garmin and Bivy Stick will be a sufficient solution. For larger organizations, it’s better to go with an open system like Traksat.

• GNSS Jamming operations conducted by various military actors is on the increase. Consider procuring trackers with multiple sensors.
• Standardization of equipment enables organizations to deliver standard training at a global scale.
• Its best to have a single global portal as its easier to support.
• Reduced costs through volume discounts.
• A global operational view through a single pane of glass.
• By selecting a portal that supports multiple devices, money can be saved as most legacy trackers can still be used.

In the past few months, internet and international telephone services were significantly disrupted across many African nations due to sub-sea cable damage. In any typical year, around 100 incidents are reported globally, and normally affect one cable at a time. Two separate events just weeks apart caused the loss of multiple cables on both sides of the African continent. Damage to a single cable will often go unnoticed as cable operators have agreements in place to reroute traffic. So, why did the internet fail in Africa?

In this article, I will explain what happened and explore some actions aid organisations can take to mitigate against future events.

24th February 2024:: Three cables were cut in the Red Sea (Seacom/TGN-EA, EIG, and AAE-1). The initial speculation stated that the cuts were carried out deliberately by the same rebels who are targeting shipping in the Red Sea in support of the Gaza war. This theory was soon disregarded in favour of a more likely cause which is assumed to be the anchor the crew of the MV Rubymar deployed following a missile attack. The ship eventually sank. The outage of the three cables caused major disruption to internet services across the East and Southern African region. Services started to improve in the following days as ISPs worked together to re-route traffic via alternative cable.

14^th March 2024: Four cables were damaged off the west coast near to Abidjan. This time an underwater
rockslide was suspected to have caused damage. Services in West and Central
Africa were severely disrupted. Whilst mobile networks continued to operate for
local and national calls, the ability to make international calls and use data
ceased.

Resilience and recovery: In a report published by the internet society in April 2024. The organisation covered the events in detail and explained that timelines for repairing cables ranging from 4 to 6 weeks. The Infrapedia map is a global map showing sea cable routes. In the screenshot below, the cable routes for West Africa are clearly shown.

Returning to the question from the top of this article “why was Africa severely impacted”, this map demonstrates two factors contributing to the high risk of losing connectivity.

• Low number of sea cables serving African countries. Some countries more resilient than others. Liberia has just one cable, but Nigeria is in a stronger position with 7 cables.
  
• Multiple cables routed through the same place will heighten the risk of major disruption as a single event can damage multiple cales at the same time.

Multiple cable damage is exactly what happened in the Red Sea and the Atlantic. West Africa was more severely affected due to the low volume of cables in the area.

What can organisations do to reduced the impact of a connectivity outage? When a major outage happens, both internet access and ability to make international calls will be lost. This also affects mobile networks as well as fibre connections. As these events are completely outside the control of aid agencies, there is not much IT teams can do other than to monitor the situation and inform staff.

There are some actions organisations can take to reduce the impact when connectivity is lost. It is possible in many nations to implement back up services which can be activated during an outage. Here are a few suggestions.

• VSAT – This is satellite-based internet. Bandwidth will not perform to the same level as a fibre connection, but it will allow organisations to perform essential online tasks. VSAT is technology that organisations need to buy in advance and have contracts in place which enables services to be switched on at short notice.
  
  VSAT relies on ground stations to link satellites to the internet. If the ground station is in the same or nearby country where the internet has failed, VSAT will not work. When sourcing VSAT services, its best to select services where ground stations are in Europe and other locations with a high density of internet infrastructure.
  
  There are some countries where internet is strictly regulated, and ISPs are required to use ground stations in the same country. In these circumstances, VSAT will not be an appropriate solution.
  
• Portable Satellite Communications – Satellite telephones can be held in reserve to allow internal calls to be made. Inmarsat BGAN and Thuraya IP are compact units (small notebook size) which can be used to access the internet. Inmarsat and Thuraya satellites connect to the internet via ground stations in the EU, USA, UEA and other global north locations. This technology has a reputation for being expensive, but in recent years, affordable packages have become available. (BGAN Link provides 30GB of data for around $1000 per month).BGAN and Thuraya IP operates at around 350Kb/Sec, which is nowhere near fibre speed but sufficient for a small team to carry out essential work.

• StarLink – During the outages of February and March 2024, many NGO leaders were calling for StarLink to be sourced. StarLink has a high profile in the media as it has been strongly promoted by Elon Musk its CEO. This new technology delivers internet at high speed and low cost.
  
  At the moment StarLink can only add limited value in Africa as it can only be used in Nigeria, Kenya, Rwanda, Mozambique and Malawi. More countries are working through legal agreements with other countries, so this list will expand.
  
  Based on my research, there is only one StarLink ground station in Nigeria. As this was one of the countries affected by the outage, it was assumed that the StarLink services may have also been affected by the cable cut. During a recent conversation with StarLink, the sales team told me that StarLink performed as normal during the recent outages, but I have not been able to independently verify this statement.
  
  One of the reasons that StarLink may have performed well maybe down to the way data can be transferred between satellites via 100GB/Sec laser links. As StarLink is new to Africa, it’s feasible that performance may have been good, but how well would the StarLink network perform during a major cable cut in the future when there are significantly more users accessing StarLink?
   
• ISPs: What can your internet supplier do to keep services running during a cable cut?  IT and Procurement teams should ask more technical questions about how the services are provided. Is it possible for supplier to have back up connections to keep limited services running when sea cables are cut. As an example, ISPs in Liberia used to rely on large VSAT systems to provide internet services. When Liberia was connected to the ACE cable in 2012, many ISPs retained their VSAT systems as a backstop.
  
  Specific question to ask ISPs;
  
  
  • How many sea cables do your supplier by internet services from? In some of the recent outages, some ISPs performed better than others as they were able to move traffic quickly down the remaining operational routes.
    
    Does the supplier operate an independent VSAT back up?  If so, what is the capacity and where is the ground station?
    
  • In the event of a major cable incident, what service levels can the supplier guarantee via its back up infrastructure?

Conclusion: Most organisations rely upon internet-based services for running daily tasks from managing HR to running procurement. When the internet goes offline, this has a significant impact on operations. As recent events have demonstrated, total loss of internet access is a possibility and more likely in places where cable density is low.Sea-Cables are vulnerable to damage from ships, trawlers, and seismic events. It is also important to understand that the risk of damage to infrastructure by bad actors is possible. In 2022, it was suspected that the Nordstream gas pipeline in the Baltic sea was sabotaged by bad actors. Some nation states have made it clear that they consider sea cables as a legitimate target during a war.

So, organisations need to take the risk of internet outages seriously, especially in locations where sea cables are limited to low numbers. This risk of outages need to be mitigated by investment in back up connections such as satellite-based solutions. VSAT is possibly the most solid option, but new LEO technologies like StarLink will have an increasing role to play in the future.

In this month’s article, I am covering two topics. First, GPS jamming which has become a significant challenge in some parts of the world to aid organisations and beyond. The impact can be significant on navigation systems and telecoms. Over the past few years, we have seen an uptick in jamming, so I want to make people aware of how this can impact aid operations and personal security.

The second topic is about personal solar lighting. I have seen many products over the years, but recently innovation from “Mpowerd” has caught my eye. Recently I conducted some tests on three light systems and was very impressed!

GNSS Jamming

Firstly, like many technical topics, this subject is very rich in acronyms. GNSS stands for Global Navigations Satellite Systems which is the collective term for all satellite navigation systems. The first GNSS service was launched by the USA in the early 1990s and called the Global Positioning System or GPS. In addition to GPS, Russia has GLONASS, Europe has Galileo and China operates a system called Baidu. All these technologies operate in similar ways and subject to jamming.

GPS was the first GNSS technology and was funded by the Defence Department in the USA. GPS was a game changer for navigators as not did it provide precise positioning for weapon systems, but it became popular with the marine and aviation sector. Eventually as technology improved, GNSS technology became embedded into many personal devices to enable people to find their way around cities.

Why Jam GNSS?

It is assumed that miliary drones and missiles will use GNSS to find their way to a target. To help defend countries from incoming attack, GNSS signals are often jammed by transmitters designed to produce strong signals to disrupt the signals transmitted from GNSS satellites.

Recent media reports confirm that GNSS jamming is being used by Russia in cities near to the border with Ukraine as part of its military operations. Further north in the Baltic region, commercial airlines have reported GPS disruption which is presumed to be caused by Russia.

GNSS jamming is also taking place in the Eastern Mediterranean by Israel to disrupt incoming missiles.

How does GNSS jamming affect aid work?

Jamming may have a significant impact on commonly used technologies which rely on GNSS systems. In recent weeks, I have heard first hand reports from;

• Lebanon –Car “sat-nav” systems and mobile phones reporting wrong positions.
  
• Gaza – The Emergency Telecoms Cluster have reported significant jamming in the Gaza strip which has frustrated their ability to map services.  

GNSS jamming will have a significant impact beyond frustrating everyone’s ability to navigate around places using google maps or similar. Jamming operations may have a serious impact on safety of aid workers and their ability to run humanitarian operations.

Tracking technologies such as the Garmin products are widely used for fleet management as well as personal tracking, especially in hostile environments. GNSS jamming can reduce the accuracy of tracking technologies or may prevent them working completely.

Satellite telephones such as Inmarsat, Thuraya and BGAN also rely on GPS. Before a call can be made, the internal GPS inside the handset will calculate the user’s position. If the GPS signal is jammed, the satellite telephone may not be usable until a position can be obtained. The only exception is the Iridium range of satellite phones (including PTT). Whilst some of the advanced Iridium handsets may have GPS built in, location information is not needed to make a call. Users should be aware that pressing the red distress button on a Iridium handset may transmit an incorrect location.

In any crisis context, the aid sector may use mapping systems (GIS) to map an area with information about where organisations are operating and what services are being offered to the affected community. In a war context like Gaza or Ukraine, bombing has significantly altered many neighbourhoods and previous streets are unrecognisable. Without functioning GPS systems, it is almost impossible to create new maps.

GPS is also an accurate timing source and used for some IT systems. Whilst not a normal feature in the aid world, GPS timing is used in banking and trading systems to synchronise trading systems. Whilst the risk is low, in theory GPS jamming in the right location could disrupt ATM machines and other banking services.

Jamming Information

If GNSS signals are being jammed, there is very little that can be done to restore accuracy of the technology. But if you are experiencing issues with technology that rely on GPS and other GNSS systems, GPSJAM GPS/GNSS Interference Map is a good resource to check if you think your navigation, tracking and telecoms tech is being affected. The data on the site is not real time and only shows average accuracy of GPS for the previous day and further back in time.

Data is sourced from the aviation industry where aircraft systems automatically report data in most parts of the world (See the FAQ section on the website for more detail). Note that information for Ukraine does not exist as there are no commercial flights over the country.

The following screenshot shows an example of jamming which is taking place in the eastern end of the Mediterranean sea.

Portable Solar Lighting

Over the past 20 years, I have tried out wide range of solar lights. Lanterns with built in solar panels are not new and there are many companies making these products. I have tested many. Some are great, but some are poorly made from cheap materials and break easily.

In a humanitarian context, solar lanterns are very useful in places where power is not available.

NGOs running education programmes will sometimes provide lanterns to students so they can continue study at home. Some of the larger lanterns can also be used to charge up smart phones.

I have covered this topic previously and felt that there would be nothing new to report. Its nice to be proven wrong!

Mpowerd have designed a range of lanterns that can be compressed flat.  In the picture, the smaller green light (Luci outdoor 2.0) is fully compressed. The larger light (Luci Base) to the left has been inflated. This light has a larger battery and a port for charging a mobile phone.

At the back is the Luci Solar String which is suitable for lighting a larger area with its multiple LED light bulbs.

When compressed, the lanterns take up less space than competing products. I estimate that up to 6 Luci outdoor 2.0 units could fit into the same space as one of its main competitors.

Build quality is excellent and these products are likely to last much longer than some of the cheaper alternative brands I have tested in the past. Whilst the inflatable units can be inflated by mouth, I recommend using a pump to prevent the build up of condensation over time. Note: Due to the rugged design of the Luci range, the build up of condensation should not cause any damage.

Over a few evenings during the UK winter, the lights were tested in low and high-power mode. Lights were switched on at 7PM and lasted through the night in low power mode. In high mode, the lights stopped working at around 5AM. In low power mode, the lights lasted through the night.

In the picture below, the Luci Outdoor 2.0 presents (1) a harsh white light which is suitable for reading. The larger Luci Base (2) has a softer tone. The Luci String system base unit (3) provides power for the soft toned string lights (4)

For more information and pricing, please visit Mpowerd via the link below.

MPOWERD | Solar Inflatable Lanterns, String Lights and More – MPOWERD Inc.

Last month, I raised my concerns about how the Humanitarian Sector are pressing ahead with digital solutions but not considering the connectivity infrastructure needed to facilitate it. In this article, I will shine a light on how to build reliable and safe connectivity services for communities.

Setting up public Wi-Fi in public is complex and good planning is essential. Over the past 10 years, the Emergency Telecoms Cluster (ETC), Nethope and other agencies have provided connectivity in refugee settings across the world. I have supported some of these projects and there have been plenty of lessons the ICT community have learnt along the way.

Here is a high-level view on how to deliver a successful service and get it right first time. 

Community engagement & assessment

All successful projects must start with the community and other humanitarian actors in mind. Firstly, if digital programming is to be delivered in the setting, early conversations need to be started so that you have a good knowledge about any ICT4D solutions before meeting with community members. From a system design perspective, it’s important to understand how much bandwidth per person is needed for services to operate correctly.

The next step it to meet up with key local people from the communities to understand what sort of devices people use to access the internet, the type of information and services the communities would like to access and the best locations to locate equipment. Permissions may also need to be sought from key people to install equipment.

An important part of community engagement is to explain which services will be delivered. You should also be clear about what services may not be provided. In most projects, there may not be sufficient bandwidth to support entertainment and it’s likely that streaming platforms such as YouTube may be blocked. Managing expectations correctly must be a priority as if services are over promised, communities will become frustrated. Setting expectation correctly in advance will lead to a smooth implementation. Signage in local languages will also help when services are installed.

Right sizing the service

The community assessment will give engineers an idea of how many people will access systems at the same time. Headcount information combined with bandwidth requirements for ICT4D services will help technicians to decide how much total bandwidth will be needed to serve the community. User numbers will also be used to identify the correct technologies to source. Generally commercial equipment will be needed to delivery services rather than the cheaper routers used in domestic settings.

Service availability and positioning services

This is the part of the project where mistakes made could lead to unintended consequences. Firstly, technicians must ensure that Wi-Fi services are equitable. In some refugee settings, there could be multiple communities, so it’s essential that each community has equal access. Organisations may limit providing services in public locations such as libraries or schools where everyone has access, but even in public areas, care must be taken so that Wi-Fi does not cause issues for other services.

In 2021, Wi-Fi was installed in Mahama Camp, Rwanda to provide connectivity to a library building. On the opposite side of the road was the entrance to the clinic. When the service went live, crowds gathered to use the Wi-Fi and obstructed access to the clinic. Fences were soon installed to keep the entrance clear for patient access. So, key lesson learnt from this experience is to be mindful that Wi-Fi will attract a gathering of people where it could cause inconvenience to other services and activities nearby.

One other important factor to consider when locating IT equipment is the security of these systems. Core technologies should be installed in secure locations with access to stable power and Wi-Fi access points placed in locations where they cannot be easily removed.

Power

As part of the system design, stable power must be provided to run the technology. Many sites will have unstable power of in some cases no power at all. Where there is intermittent power, battery backup systems such as UPS will ensure that services will continue during power outages. Renewable energy systems can also be a great solution for securing stable power. Solar energy is very popular, but space will be needed for panels. For locations where space is limited, wind power could be an option to consider if the local climate is suitable.

Think about how the community will be able to charge their devices. In many settings this may not be a problem at all as small shops within the camps may have solar charging which people can access for a small fee. If there are no means for people to charge technology, it is easy to provide USB charging stations as part of the project.

Financial Sustainability

This is the topic where I get very frustrated with some organisations. Over the years I have seen countless examples where expensive equipment is placed in crisis settings. As communities start to use the Wi-Fi, they start to depend on it for communications and education. After a period (normally a year), the service fails because there is no funding for renewing the contract with the internet provider.

In a refugee camp, where NGOs provide water, shelter, and food, they don’t take all this away with no notice. The same ethos must now be applied to all services including Wi-Fi. For me, the lack of budgeting for longer term provision is a massive failure and, in my opinion, if a project cannot be funded for the longer term, it should not be started at all.

The manufacturers of Wi-fi equipment such as Cisco are massively generous with hardware, but generally do not fund connectivity. The telecoms sector could be doing much more in this space to support such projects by providing free of discounted services. They are often massive multinational organisations with the means to afford supporting humanitarian assistance.

In a nutshell, whilst we can deliver great services at pace, more work is needed on the funding side to keep services running beyond the first year!

Internet access limits

Bandwidth to run the Wi-Fi services is some locations can be expensive, especially if satellite technologies are used. With a high volume of users, it will be necessary to limit the number of websites the community can access. As previously mentioned, streaming services such as YouTube are likely to be blocked.

Priority must always be given to essential services which are important to members of the community the project supports.

Refugee.info is a good example of a service that will be of great value to refugees. This website has been created in a wide range of languages to provide communities with information about claiming asylum, accessing health care and many more services. This service has been operating in Greece for many years and has been showcased as a major success.

Education Technology (EdTech) is another important service where Wi-Fi systems have been set up to allow students to access to approved education content. In projects where we support a displaced population, the continuation of education for children is vital. Across Ukraine, there are many of examples of such services where educational content approved by the Ministry of Education is delivered every day.

In the assessment phase of a new project, when engaging local communities, also engage government officials such as Health and Education as well so that services can be provided to support these important thematic areas.

Privacy and security

Next, but possibly most importantly, Wi-Fi services must be designed and delivered with privacy and security always in mind. In many cases the communities we support will have been displaced because of armed conflict. Alongside the physical wars, there is cyber war taking place. Bad actors (some government sponsored) will attempt to hack IT systems being used to support displaced communities. The activities can range from denying access to services to more sinister attempts to get information about people in the community you are supporting.

Cyber Security and data protection must be included into all projects where services are provided to communities. The threat is very real and there is plenty of evidence supporting this.

Gaza, Are we ready to deliver?

As I write this article, war taking place in Gaza where over one million people have been displaced. Before the war, the population in Gaza had regular access to services including Internet.

Famine is building up in Gaza as access for aid agencies is limited. When a ceasefire does take hold, the Aid Sector will need to move in at pace to deliver medical supplies, food, water, and other important non-food items. Alongside these lifesaving services, the community will also need access to digital services and connectivity. As an aid community, are we ready to deliver this?

Across the Aid Sector (UN and NGOs) there is amazing progress made in the digital programming space (also known as ICT4D and T4D). Digital applications have a positive impact on communities through various services such as mobile money and cash vouchers, information sharing, feedback services and much more. Despite all these amazing programmes, I am becoming very concerned that many organisations in this sector are just focusing on digital programming and neglecting its enabler which is power and connectivity. In this article, I am going to advance the argument about why infrastructure-based services to communities remain not just important but essential for the success of Digital Programming.

Back in 2015, I was part of the Emergency Telecommunications Cluster (ETC) working group where the ETC 2020 strategy was launched. One objective of ETC2020 was to deliver “Service to Communities”.  Until ETC2020, the organisations focus was to facilitate connectivity and telecoms for aid agencies during major disaster responses. It was recognised that to provide connectivity to affected communities were becoming increasingly important. Around the same time, some organisations including NetHope were already at work in this space and providing connectivity to communities in the refugee camps in Greece.

Using the Nethope Wi-Fi services, IRC and Mercy corps was able to provide the Refugee.info website which informed refugees about humanitarian services and how to navigate complex asylum application processes. Later, this approached become the Signpost project Signpost–Who We Are — Signpost.

In addition to the Wi-Fi and the hosted information, charging points were set up in camps so that refugees could charge up their devices.

Today, the range of digital services to communities continue to increase. In 2022, NGOs and UN agencies provided SIM cards and information for people escaping war in Ukraine in public settings such as railway stations.

Around the world, there are many examples where digital programming is delivering benefits to communities. Frequently, some NGOs neglect to provide the infrastructure and services which are essential to facilitate digital programming. It is often said “This is not our business” or “Somebody else will do it” or “there is 4G everywhere” Unfortunately there are too many examples where these arguments will not stand up. In places where connectivity has not been provided, digital programming has not reached its full potential impact.  

The Gaza war have caused massive infrastructure damage and displaced most of the population. Internet services have been severely impacted. Mobile telephone networks are congested to such an extent that it is difficult to make calls and messages sent by SMS have been reported to take as long as 4 hours to arrive. Before the war started, mobile networks only supported 2G services (voice and SMS only).

Before the War, the Gaza mobile networks were limited to 2G services (voice and SMS) which limited digital programming to SMS based services. There will be a huge piece of work needed to initially provide modern connectivity in public places where aid is delivered. Longer term, the mobile networks need to be repaired and upgraded to modern 4G or 5G.

I want to dispel one myth about e-sims in Gaza.  It was suggested to me that we could facilitate the mass deployment of e-sims to the community to promote access to digital services. Unfortunately, this “Global North” is ill informed and will not help due to the state of telecoms across Gaza.

Typically, in any natural disaster or “hot war” situation, infrastructure breakdown is inevitable. Whilst the aid sector looks to local business to re-establish telecoms, the reality on the ground is very mixed. The telecoms sector in the Philippines strengthened its resilience against volcanic activities, cyclones, and earthquakes. In recent years, there have been various cyclones and other events which has called on the telecoms sector and government to implement their new disaster response plans. The preparedness planning has delivered good results as services are routinely being restored quickly after cyclones and seismic events.

As digital programming becomes more ubiquitous, the aid sector must do more to facilitate connectivity. For Save the Children International, I have recently developed a “Services to Communities” (S2C) approach where our in-house local expertise is used to deliver connectivity to affected populations. Clearly individual NGOs and UN Agencies will not have the capacity to connect a complete population, but they cab provide Wi-Fi hotspots in limited areas such as IDP/Refugee camps, clinics and schools and other public places supported by aid agencies and local partners.

This year (2024), I am running a project to preposition Wi-Fi and connectivity kits in some high-risk countries across the Global South. In my designs, I have included a solar energy module to power the Wi-fi technology and provide charging points for the community. Satellite kits are on standby in 4 regional locations so they can be brought in when a crisis the local internet services are destroyed.

In addition to pre-positioning equipment, we also need trained people available to deploy the kits and deliver services. Since 2016, some organisations including Save the Children International, Nethope, UNICEF and the ETC have been delivering high quality training to local ICT staff in all regions. The Save the Children “Technology for Emergencies” or (T4E) is a good example of how we have localised deployment of technicians instead of sending people on long flights from more developed countries.

My call to action is for the sector to not forget the importance of delivering the infrastructure needed to provide connectivity. There is no point in focusing 100% on digital solutions if communities do not provide connectivity, power to run the technology or charging points for communities. Digital programming needs to be more open to establishing partnerships with the infrastructure teams that exist in all ICT Departments.

In the months ahead, I hope that the situation in Gaza will become calm so that we in the Aid Sector can get in and do our work. Once we do gain access to the communities, there will be huge needs and it will be vital to provide safe and secure internet access so that the communities can access various services ranging from education to mobile money.

In my next article, I will be taking a deeper dive into the best practices for delivering services to communities (S2C)

Over the past few weeks, we have seen two major announcements about how we may be able to access satellite communications with a standard mobile telephone. Currently, the four main operators providing satellite telephone services are Inmarsat, Iridium, Thuraya and GlobalStar. To access these networks, a dedicated satellite telephone is required. As these networks are proprietary, it is not possible to use a satellite telephone from one network on any of the other networks.

The big announcements: Recently, Elon Musk announced that the next generation of StarLink Satellites would allow people to make calls using a standard mobile telephone (4G). The service in partnership with T-Mobile where mobile phones could roam onto the satellite service when outside of standard terrestrial services.

The second announcement is from Apple where they stated that the new iPhone 14 would have the capability to send text alerts via its satellite partner GlobalStar. This satellite operator covers around 80% of the global land mass and already has a range of small products to send text alerts for adventurers walking of climbing in remote areas. The Apple/GlobalStar partnership does not provide full voice or data services, but it is sufficient for people to get help in remote areas.

AST Space Mobile:  The concept of using a standard mobile phone with Satellites is not new. AST & Science and its Space Mobile technology came to my attention in 2020 when they announced that they would be launching satellites to provide 4G and 5G services from space. According to AST & Science, they plan to launch a new satellite this month (Sep 2022).

The announcement from StarLink is very significant and with a fleet of a few thousand satellites already in orbit, we know that Elon Musk has the funding to deliver his next generation of satellites at scale. Since the StarLink/T-Mobile announcement, shares have fallen at AST SpaceMobile, but with a large market of over 15 Billion mobiles phones in the world, there is likely to be enough business for all operators in this sector.

How will these new services affect Humanitarian Aid workers? Let me deal with the Apple/GlobalStar partnership first. As a Aid Worker, two way communications is essential so the iPhone 14 text back up service is not going to work for me as the service is limited to sending emergency text messages. Secondly, Apple technology is expensive and we normally use cheaper Android models from a range of manufacturers. Whilst there is definitely a market for the iPhone 14, due to its limited function, I doubt it will gain any form of support in the aid world. Secondly, coverage is poor in some parts of the global south.

I feel more positive about the solutions from StarLink and AST SpaceMobile. Both of these organisations plan to use the 4G and 5G spectrum as used by most standard mobile phones. For aid workers, this will make telecommunications more accessible through standard handsets. However, will this technology work?

Challenges: The traditional satellite operators use different parts of the radio spectrum to provide a service. International agreements enable the four main satellite networks to provide service into most countries. There are some countries where satellite phones are illegal.

Where these new services are permitted, some of us in the aid sector have some question we need to see answers to;

1. How well with these new services perform when they become available?  How well will an standard handset cope with a satellite a few hundred KM away when its designed to communicate with a base station a few KM from the user?
   
   
2. 4G and 5G spectrum will be crowded. So expect to see some regulatory challenges and perhaps some lawsuits between some of the terrestrial operators. The T-Mobile/Starlink model is probably the best way to success where service users have a contract with a local network provider and the satellite provider fills in the gaps with a roaming service.

I can see a problem with this. What happens when a user is away from his/her home country?  Does the mobile phone connect to the satellite or roam on another terrestrial network?

Conclusion: Whilst the Apple/GlobalStar is not the solution I will buy in to, AST SpaceMobile and StarLink are two interesting technologies to watch closely. These technologies have the potential to disrupt parts of the satellite communications market, especially on land. At sea, its less likely as traditional satellite operators such as Inmarsat and now Iridium form an essential part of the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System as used by ships at sea.