National Transportable Telecommunications Capability: commercial satellite and cellular communications for emergency preparedness

Abstract

The authors describe the National Transportable Telecommunications Capability (NTTC) system, a quick-reaction emergency satellite, cellular, and microwave communications package. The purpose of the NTTC is to restore last mile connectivity to remote isolated areas in the United States or abroad that have been devastated by hurricanes, earthquakes, or other natural or man-made disasters. The NTTC is self-contained for rapid airlift in a single C-130 military transport, or may be transported by land or sea. The system is leased service that uses commercially available equipment to augment federal government communications during natural disasters or civil emergencies when the public switched network (PSN) may be disabled or nonexistent. Upon deployment, the NTTC will provide toll-quality duplex telephony to aid in coordinating relief efforts by establishing local cellular radio telephone communications among parties to the relief effort and linking those communications by satellite to the PSN in Clarksburg, Maryland.<>