Orange has conducted, in recent days, the first experiments around its SafetyCase, an emergency telecommunications solution that weighs only a few tens of kilos.
On site, no one has forgotten the storm Alex which, from September 30 to October 3, 2020, had ravaged the valleys of Vésubie and La Roya, in the Alpes-Maritimes department. Several villages were plunged into darkness and cut off from the world, without any means of communication or the possibility of contacting the emergency services. Mobile and fixed networks had been swept away by the storm. A situation of total anguish, which could perhaps soon be avoided thanks to technology.
A suitcase that works in an emergency and in complete autonomy
After the feedback following the Alex storm, Orange has developed a solution that can allow isolated villages, houses and hamlets to no longer suffer from the situation of total blackout in the event of an exceptional natural phenomenon. More than a solution, we can speak here of innovation, materialized by a communication device that takes the form of a suitcase.
This suitcase, weighing 70 kg on the scale, allows you to create a real bubble of connectivity that can be activated in any emergency situation, and this in complete autonomy, since it runs on batteries.
Deployable in just 15 minutes, the SafetyCase is equipped with a satellite data transfer module and Wi-Fi feedback. Once activated, it guarantees operation for 10 hours, an autonomy not yet sufficient to ensure on the duration, but important enough to communicate effectively with the outside in the event of a crisis. And if the power is still coming to the premises, an inverter can even maintain its use and thus preserve the batteries. Same thing, if the municipality has a generator.
A connectivity bubble deployed in 15 minutes
The operator Orange, with the help of the Departmental Association of Radio Amateurs in the Civil Security Service of the Alpes-Maritimes (ADRASEC 06), successfully conducted the first experiments of its connectivity bubble in the towns and villages of Breil, Tende, Venanson and Valdeblore, all located in the department.
In a few minutes, the SafetyCase was deployed, and all its equipment (mobile antennas, walkie-talkies, digital tablet, HF radio, lamp, Swiss army knife and road maps) was fully functional.
A simulation was conducted, with a power outage in each of the test areas. Everything worked, even the videoconference. This is enough to reassure the inhabitants, the relief workers and the elected officials, who now feel less helpless. Be careful however: the SafetyCase is not yet marketed. The experiments will continue in the coming weeks and months to improve the characteristics of the large suitcase.
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