Keeping the Lights On: Satellite Tech in Utilities Management

What happens when the lights go out in your house? Ever have them go out in the entire neighborhood? What about the whole town or city? The state? What would happen if service suddenly stopped all together?

Utilities management is a huge job with billions of people depending on the outcome of how well each operation runs. A power outage that lasts just a few hours can cost people money in lost wages, cause refrigeration and frozen food loss, exacerbate health issues for people dependent on power for climate control or medical devices and much more.

It’s not just an inconvenience for people when they lose access to utilities. That’s why it’s so critical for utilities management to have reliable, consistent access to monitor their systems. Terrestrial solutions can be unreliable (especially in remote areas) and networks can get bogged down by excess traffic. In the event of an emergency, when you really need utilities to be working, communication lines can get clogged by a surge in traffic. This is where satellite solutions come in.

How Satellite Tech Works for Utilities

By using satellite technology, utility companies can have connectivity across their entire smart grid. Anywhere they need connectivity; satellite is there — whether it’s remote substations, remote customer locations or automatic reading collector sites. Using IP-based satellite communication systems integrated with core networks, utilities are meeting their smart grid objectives. They have a reliable and secure network solution that allows them to monitor their SCADA devices. They may also use satellite technology to extend their ability to use video surveillance, VOIP and corporate data access to substations that are inaccessible by terrestrial networks. Satellite also allows utilities to manage green energy sites in remote locations and backhaul smart meter data from aggregation sites.

Utility networks can also operate primarily on terrestrial networks and use satellite as emergency backup. Satellite solutions can give an alternative way to monitor SCADA and communicate with field crews in the event of a natural disaster or manmade event, to ensure minimal downtime of the smart grid.

Major Benefits of Satellite

Satellite provides many benefits for utilities because it’s:

• Easy to use – The technology is so user-friendly that just about anyone can deploy, monitor and optimize with minimal training.
• Reliable – Weather conditions, remote locations and traffic surges won’t affect the data reliability of the satellite network. Satellite networks are 99.9% reliable.
• Fast – Data rates with satellite have improved so much over the years that now they can support bandwidth-intensive real-time applications like VOIP and video streaming.
• Affordable – Satellite is no longer an expensive niche solution. It is widely used across many industries and has become a very affordable solution. The cost to operate a satellite feed is comparable to a terrestrial and cellular network cost structure.
• Flexible – Utilities can choose between outsourcing management (either partially or fully) of their satellite networks or building and operating their own. There’s a solution for every skill level and budget.

Satellite also:

• Increases safety – Field crews sometimes work in hazardous conditions and remote locations. With satellite technology, they can have increased connectivity and better lines to safety with satellite phones, push-to-talk solutions and GPS devices equipped with panic buttons.

• Enhances worker productivity – Constant access to the home office helps workers in the field check emails, update job orders, schedule work, send progress reports and more from anywhere in the field, which increases worker productivity.

When it comes to keeping the lights (and more) on, satellite is the go-to-tech. New York Mobile Satellite has that tech. Contact us today to get more information.

Headquartered in New York City, New York Mobile Satellite provides B2B wireless and satellite based telecommunication services, both mobile and fixed, to commercial enterprises around the globe, including banking, financial services, oil and gas, first responders, law enforcement, electric and water utilities, construction, sea ports, leisure boating, mining, cruise lines, media, shipping and container vessels, transportation, camping and hiking groups, rescue organizations, maritime communications, public safety markets and government sector, as well as for disaster recovery and humanitarian agencies. The Management Team has over 75 years of satellite and telecommunication experience. The company’s flexibility to custom design solutions and integrate various satellite communications technologies for customer and industry specific needs sets us apart from the competition. New York Mobile Satellite LLC is certified as a Veteran Owned business by the Veterans Administration.

Asset Tracking With Satellite

Think of this. You’re a logistics manager for a large trucking company and you realize one of your shipments has gone missing. Not only that, but you can’t get in touch with the driver or the supervisor because they both are out of cell phone range and apparently not in the truck. What do you do?

Organizations that operate fleets face several challenges when it comes to tracking their assets. Due to the mobile nature of fleets, it’s imperative to have connectivity wherever they may travel in order to track assets consistently. Organizations need to understand the exact location of their assets at all times, regardless of the location or environment so they can assess asset availability. They need to understand the status and security of all assets at all times. They also need to control assets to react to changing conditions.

Traditional terrestrial cellular communication has large dead zones where there is no connectivity. In remote locations, asset control is greatly reduced due to these dead zones. Having the GPS location of an asset doesn’t mean the driver has access to in-cab messaging and vehicle control, which helps maintain the driver’s awareness and the asset’s security.  

So what is an organization to do when they have a fleet of vehicles they need to track? The answer is satellite. Satellite technology hurdles the challenges of asset tracking due to its reliability, ease of use and consistent service even in the most remote areas. Satellite technology can easily be installed and maintained to help an organization manage its assets. 

What can satellite do to track assets?

Satellite technology provides great asset tracking performance. There are a variety of hardware units that work with asset management software so companies can chose the one that suits their budget and their business needs. Some software can track up to 40,000 live positions to make asset tracking a breeze, even for very large organizations. Satellite tracking software can be installed on many kinds of hardware, making it a very versatile option. 

Tracking assets via satellite technology is simple and can often be updated over the air so you don’t have any downtime when it’s time to update firmware. There are very safe options out there that give you voice and data access secure networks. The solutions are highly customizable so there is one to suit every organization’s needs. 

Options

Features available through asset tracking software vary by manufacturer, but could include some helpful options. Live tracking options are out there, which allow updates on assets’ locations every 15 minutes. Geo-fences are another option available. You can set up a geo-fence and know when an asset has entered or exited the perimeter you set up. You can also improve safety and security by establishing exceptions and receiving alerts that signal suspicious behavior.

Those in the trucking industry need to monitor their trailers even when they are unhooked to assure asset safety and security at all times. For those in this business, there are solutions available to monitor unhooked trailers. The hardware for these solutions runs on an internal battery with a long battery life, so unhooked trailers are monitored even when there is no power source for the tracking devices. These solutions can provide daily GPS information that is reported every 24 hours, or every 15 minutes if the asset is moved while the trailer is unhooked. Activity outside normal operating hours and locations can be tracked by email and SMS alerts. 

If you are looking for state of the art asset tracking technology, look no further than New York Mobile Satellite. We’ve got the solutions that will keep your assets safe. That translates to less loss and higher revenue for your organization. Contact us today.

Headquartered in New York City, New York Mobile Satellite provides B2B wireless and satellite based telecommunication services, both mobile and fixed, to commercial enterprises around the globe, including banking, financial services, oil and gas, first responders, law enforcement, electric and water utilities, construction, sea ports, leisure boating, mining, cruise lines, media, shipping and container vessels, transportation, camping and hiking groups, rescue organizations, maritime communications, public safety markets and government sector, as well as for disaster recovery and humanitarian agencies. The Management Team has over 75 years of satellite and telecommunication experience. The company’s flexibility to custom design solutions and integrate various satellite communications technologies for customer and industry specific needs sets us apart from the competition. New York Mobile Satellite LLC is certified as a Veteran Owned business by the Veterans Administration.

Because you need the money now!

Jonathan is an international tourist. He loves to travel, he loves to experience the exotic and he loves to spend money while he does it. And like many tourists, he sometimes finds he has depleted his cash. While this might not be a problem in most parts of the United States, many countries still operate largely on a cash basis. So Jonathan does what anyone else might do to get cash – he finds an ATM. Here’s the problem he encountered on his latest trip. The ATM was down. And so were the next three he found.

When you think of satellite solutions, generally you might think of highly mobile industries. Satellite solutions are frequently used in industries where workers are always on the go, like emergency first responders, members of the media, utility crews, gas and oil workers, miners and many more. But believe it or not, satellite applications are also helpful in more stationary businesses, like banks.

The banking industry presents its own set of challenges, like the need for constant, flawless connectivity, high-security and adaptability as the bank adds branches and ATMs Satellite technology can address all of these needs and more. Satellite can also enable areas of the world without terrestrial infrastructure to have the same access to banking that the rest of the world currently enjoys. Read on to see why satellite solutions for banking make perfect sense.

· Reliability – Satellite solutions can provide unsurpassed network reliability – 99 percent – that terrestrial networks just can’t beat. Terrestrial networks are vulnerable to natural and man-made disasters, geopolitical instability and limited reach. Satellite can provide reliable service that remains uncompromised by any of those factors. In today’s world of 24/7 banking, satellite can provide the connectivity that banks and customers need. In the event of a power outage, banks may even switch to power generators and continue to do business as usual.

· Streamlining – Satellite banking operations rely on a single operator, which gives them more control over their parameters. This dedicated operator can create a network that meets the exact needs of each financial institution and reduces the amount of people the bank needs to go through to resolve any issues. There is a single point of contact for development of the network, troubleshooting, training and maintenance. Satellite can provide managed services, with full monitoring and management of all terminals from multiple networks in a single platform.

· Extended reach – Satellite options give more customers in remote and rural areas access to the banking they need. Oftentimes these areas are not well connected with the terrestrial infrastructure the bank needs to provide services. This is where satellite can reach beyond terrestrial networks to provide people access to ATMs, point of sale networks and remote branch connectivity. This is equally important to banks as it is to customers, as it gives the banks a presence in emerging markets and access to new customers. Banks can give customers a wide range of quality services, which can lead to more revenue and customer loyalty.

· Top notch security – Transmitting sensitive data via satellite is more secure than through terrestrial transmission. Satellite IP data is independent of other local telecom operators.

· A leg up on the competition – Adopting satellite services now can give banks an edge over their competition, who may still be relying on terrestrial solutions. Satellite can be used for either primary or back-up services between corporate data centers and remote banking options. Increasing customer satisfaction through better connectivity and building a larger customer base will allow banks to win over customers from their competitors and build loyalty to their brands.

As you can see, satellite services and banking go hand in hand, and in ways you might not have considered before. The technology is out there to give customers what they need whenever they need it. If you’re in the banking industry or you’re a customer like Jonathan, be sure your bank has what it takes to provide safe, consistent service.

Headquartered in New York City, New York Mobile Satellite provides B2B wireless and satellite based telecommunication services, both mobile and fixed, to commercial enterprises around the globe, including banking, financial services, oil and gas, first responders, law enforcement, electric and water utilities, construction, sea ports, leisure boating, mining, cruise lines, media, shipping and container vessels, transportation, camping and hiking groups, rescue organizations, maritime communications, public safety markets and government sector, as well as for disaster recovery and humanitarian agencies. The Management Team has over 75 years of satellite and telecommunication experience. The company’s flexibility to custom design solutions and integrate various satellite communications technologies for customer and industry specific needs sets us apart from the competition. New York Mobile Satellite LLC is certified as a Veteran Owned business by the Veterans Administration.