Advanced SATCOM Satellite Communications System Deployed by Indra Group
Will Provide Assistance During Health and Weather Emergencies
An advanced SATCOM Satellite Communications System designed to provide communications assistance during health and weather emergencies has been deployed in Europe by Indra Group. As part of the European 5G-HUB project, the company is developing a state-of-the-art interoperable 5G satellite system to ensure secure, robust, and resilient data transmission from space in the event of a disaster or emergency in remote areas via a SATCOM terminal.
As part of this strategic project, which is funded by the Horizon Europe program and coordinated by the University of Siena, Indra will develop a state-of-the-art interoperable 5G satellite system that automatically switches between satellite and terrestrial communications to ensure the continuity of the service, even in the event of natural disasters such as earthquakes and tsunamis that can cause widespread breakdowns of communication networks and hinder the coordination of rescue efforts in extreme circumstances.
Indra’s solution enables the real-time transmission of data and video in situations in which communication is vital, such as humanitarian operations, search and rescue missions and interventions following major disasters, on land, at sea, and in remote areas that currently lack network coverage or for those that have completely lost their network infrastructure due to a catastrophe.
Two pilot tests will be carried out to validate the functioning of the communications in critical and extreme environments. During the first, a major weather catastrophe causing a complete failure of all of the terrestrial communication networks will be simulated in partnership with the Italian Red Cross. In the second, to be carried out in Spain, the system will be tested on a real mission of the Open Arms NGO in the Mediterranean, during which one of its ships will be equipped with a state-of-the-art onboard satellite terminal provided by Indra, enabling telemedicine applications, live video transmissions from drones and the real-time coordination of the entire operation from land.
Indra will also provide the tool set to be used for the automated management of the communication requests. This software will be able to simulate the appropriate allocation of the available satellite and terrestrial resources in accordance with each request, optimizing the coordination and use of critical capabilities in emergency situations and thus guaranteeing a more streamlined and efficient response. This solution will also be used to carry out exercises very similar to those to be performed with the terminals when they become operational within the GOVSATCOM system, a component of the European Union’s Space Program.
The tests to be carried out in Italy and Spain constitute a technological milestone, as they will be among the first demonstrations of a hybrid terrestrial-satellite 5G communications model applied to real emergency operations in Europe. This breakthrough will strengthen Indra Group’s standing as one of Europe’s leading end-to-end players in the space sphere, with capabilities to enhance security, operational efficiency, and the protection of critical communications in the civil and military domains.