Photo: Wessex Water

[Via Satellite 10-14-13] Wessex Water has implemented a high-availability Communications-on-the-Move (COTM) solution from Hughes Europe, Hughes announced Oct. 14. This solution will help Wessex Water support rapid deployment of its mobile emergency response units in remote areas when disaster strikes, such as flooding.

Wessex Water provides water and sewage treatment services to 1.3 million people across South West England. The company’s emergency response team previously lacked a unified communications system that could operate in areas with little or no wireless 3G coverage. At the same time, Wessex Water was unable to synchronize communications between their mobile units and the HQ Command Centre in areas of limited 3G coverage. To ensure there is no loss of connectivity, the Hughes solution employs its advanced 9450-C11 mobile satellite terminal operating over the Inmarsat BGAN (Broadband Global Area Network), with automatic failover from 3G service. It also includes a COTM platform, which synchronises mobile devices and ensures that no time is lost, both on-site and between jobs.