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Global Relief Technologies CEO Michael Gray on why there are cell service disruptions after disasters such as 9/11 or even the earthquake in Virginia.
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Slowly if you're in the northeast and reached for your cell phone after the quake you were probably -- reports of widespread.
Drop offs in the aftermath of -- this rumbling.
And this earthquake was relatively minor what -- something more serious happens global relief technologies found.
Michael Graves says don't count on your cell phone to work when it old hits the -- His company helped set up mobile communications.
In disaster areas and you know my -- but you're right about that I mean I remember after 9/11.
The same phenomenon I guess everyone tries to.
To call loved ones right away I was trying to call our mine.
At the same time today.
And the same deal and I'm wondering why that is is the capacity just not there there's just a limit to it what's the deal.
Yeah it's that it's unfortunate -- you think about all the advancements we've made in technology.
Between now Twitter and FaceBook and even with mobile satellite communications being what it is today.
Why the cellular networks are as weak as they are.
It -- -- -- what the text messages get through a lot of emails yet through.
Not the right choice so writes but what does that mean.
Well and the voices connected to the data it did really is if you if you lose that cellular network you're you're you're not gonna be able move critical data as well and so.
Here depended upon things like mobile satellite communications which is actually quite robust.
But we are working with the telecommunications companies like Verizon and others.
Two make those linkages between satellite mobile communications.
And cellular so we can move not only voice but data because data is.
We're not there yet though are we might go see what worries me is that we're not really -- one day this incident today did bring up is that and they got to -- we have my -- and entertainment phenomenon eleven type but now -- we're we're gonna be facing the same.
You know disruption -- yes yes I I think that's exactly right.
The technology is there we can do a better job of this and I think it just a matter of focus and the political will to do it quite frankly what is the Google will do to what we have to do Monica what would have to be done.
You know you see it happening a lot at the state level where we're working with the state of Texas for example again working with Verizon on a project.
To make those linkages between mobile satellite communications where advancements -- bandwidth so we can move a lot of data now things we couldn't do just a few years ago.
We can do that now and making seamless connections between mobile satellite communications which is always there.
And -- the cellular networks that are there but with they go down you're gonna have to shift over to their mobile satellite communications peace in we can do that we just need to do more than we needed do a better job.
I'm -- so my stupidity here -- who -- -- very patient gentleman sold pursuant.
If the technology is there and the wider bandwidth as there are there are other.
Specter on the on the on the on the the top there is yet instantly and an emergency usable can -- -- that because obviously we don't.
We can't we can we do it when we deploy.
We have 100% coverage most of the places we go we have the inner.
Mid and cellular with the mobile satellite communications.
Haiti was a great example of that sometimes we had cellular we had to -- over.
To satellite but we were doing and all the time and we can do it and we should be doing it in other places.
A right here in the United States you know there's not that much of a difference between here in the states and overseas in places like Haiti and in other.
Developing countries where these problems we've seen these catastrophes and yet look at Katrina and we haven't made the advance here -- -- We you know.
And -- Japan and and and incidents and crises there even to the whole focus in the disaster mom I was amazed that there.
They're.
Cellular networks.
Held up and I was not only were calls able to go through for those lucky.
22 we've been stranded on the number of I'm in jelled but they released at their phones and so calls went through.
Text went through everything went through that never was disrupt.
You know and that's that's the other aspect of this it's reinforcing.
Those networks as well it's ensuring that not only other networks did not not.
Knocked out by the disaster.
But that they're not overwhelmed by people trying to call.
In emergency situations and that is another very important facet of all of this is making sure the redundancy is there -- -- is there.
We can do a lot better in that in in the area of strengthening our our cellular networks right now right.
Very good guess -- gonna want from you when you're very polite to very nicely dismissed my stupid questions and -- vertical thank you very much -- -- --
