TSF restores communications in Timbuktu, Mali with Astrium satcom equipment

Satellite communications equipment and airtim from Astrium Services have been seeing good work in the Sahel region of Mali. Non-government organization Télécoms Sans Frontières (TSF) can maintain contact with local authorities and their headquarters thanks to Astrium's reliable satellite Internet and voice capabilities. The NGO has also been able to restore contact between more than 4,200 refugees and their loved ones.

Northern Mali is suffering from severe disruptions of its communications links. Several towns, including Timbuktu, have been completely cut off from land lines and mobile networks. The increasingly dangerous conditions have also forced NGOs to limit their activities in the region.

TSF responded by delivering Astrium satellite communications technology to Timbuktu, allowing locals to make both domestic and international calls. The Mayor of Timbuktu himself was able to contact Bamako and inform the authorities about the difficulties his town was experiencing.

Many of the Sahel people depend on humanitarian support as their primary means of survival. Humanitarian workers in the region stay on top of the critical situation by sharing vital information using fixed and mobile satellite communications equipment and airtime provided by TSF and Astrium. 

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Astrium Services integrates SATCOM solution into Brazil Tetrapol radio networks

Cassidian and Astrium Services recently staged a live demonstration on how satellite communications could connect Tetrapol regional networks in Brazil. The two companies created an end-to-end communications solution to enhance Brazil's border surveillance capabilities and to show the advantages in combining SATCOM and digital radio communications.

Cassidian's Tetrapol professional mobile radio (PMR) networks provide secure radio communications to Brazil's Departamento de Polícia Federal (federal police force) and other government offices. Brazil operates nine Tetrapol regional wireless IP networks, which provide wireless communications coverage from the Atlantic coast to Brazil's borders with nine South American countries.

Terrestrial infrastructure usually links up Tetrapol regional networks. However, there are plenty of remote areas in Brazil that lack such connections.

Astrium Services provided its SKYWAN technology as a new way to connect several networks. DAMA technology allows networks to share bandwidth between all the nodes over satellite links.

The satellite solution's scalability will expand Tetrapol's service offerings, allowing them to be delivered through tactical temporary coverage as well as permanent regional coverage. And it will not be limited to Tetrapol's voice communication services.

The satellite link generated by Astrium's SKYWAY and DAMA technologies will provide access to Internet from satellite services and allow for numerous media applications and data transmission services.