State of Louisianna Emergency Satellite Network
The state of Louisiana Department of Public Saftey solicited Orbital Data Net in the spring of 2006, to provide a response to an open RFP for a satellite network capable of providing data and voice backup to locations around and in close proximity to the gulf.
Post Katrina in Louisiana many of the 700 and 800 MHz radio tower locations in the path of the storm were only able to operate in a local mode; as teh T1 interconnectors provided by Bell South were destroyed. This also resulted in various affected parishes loosing data connectivity with the main servers located at DPS headquarters in Baton Rouge as their T1's and power failed.
Orbital Data Net offered our Emergency Satellite Backup Program, which involved several novel approaches to this problem. We were awarded the contract and proceeded in the summer of 2006 and finished the majority of the network by fall of 2006. The network is currently still operational.
Initially, the communities and State Trooper headquarters in New Orleans, Fayetteville, Grey, Lake St. Charles, and Covington were selected to be backed up by the Orbtial Data Net Technology.
A number of concepts were advanced by Orbital Data. The prime goal for the first phase was to both backup radio voice traffic (needing a lowered latency satellite connection) and to provide an affordable way to also back up IP-based data networks from remote locations, via satellite, back to Baton Rouge's Data Center, all while operating in a secure fashion using point-to-point VPN hardware.
Common sense states that any satellite antenna system will be destroyed by 200 Mph winds. If the wind does't destroy the antenna, the Volkswagen the wind throws through the antenna will do the job. After a major disaster, cranes and heavy equipment used to re-build even a 5 meter antenna can be difficult to acquire. Keeping a spare 5 meter antenna in storage is also an impractical approach. Orbital Data built a system of seven 1.2 meter VSAT antennas arrayed in such a way to provide 7 Mbps uplink and up to 21 Mbps downlink capability. Each VSAT corresponds to a matching VSAT unit at 5 State Police headquarter locations and to 2 moblie radio units. If a VSAT is damaged, one technician can replace and re-point the antenna system with normal hand tools and without electrical power. Replacment parts are inexpensive and training is simple.
The network was based on Spacenet's SkyEdge system devolped by Gilat. Our network within the SkyEdge facility allows Orbital Data a great deal of flexibility in both bandwidth delivery and billing programs designed for Emergency Backup Services. Orbital Data also took advantage of a relationship with Encore, a producer of Selective layer Encryption technology to make the state's satellite network both secure, fast, and under their control.