YSAR receives satellite internet from Wireless Nation

Wireless Nation will provide free satellite internet for Youth Search and Rescue (YSAR) in New Zealand under a new partnership.

As part of the agreement, Wireless Nation will provide internet connectivity via a satellite or mobile network. The company has the best rural coverage of any New Zealand internet service provider.

The free satellite internet will be used for communications, data sharing and navigation across the country.

Wireless Nation will also provide YSAR with a portable base station to connect with sensors in the field, such as GPS trackers, temperature sensors, vibration sensors and panic alarms.

“As we’ve seen with the rescue of the boys stuck in the cave in Thailand, the availability and skills of the search and rescue teams are often the difference between life and death,” said YSAR General Manager Steve Campbell.

“An absolutely essential part of our training is to have reliable communications and accurate navigation systems in the most remote parts of New Zealand. There are also significant opportunities for us to be innovative and explore new technologies to improve communications in operational management, planning and intelligence.

“Wireless Nation’s network will become an absolutely indispensable part of our job and help us ultimately train our people to save more lives.”

YSAR will share relevant data gathered from field exercises with Wireless Nation to help the company develop solutions for search and rescue and emergency services working in the most challenging environments.

“​YSAR will provide us with use cases for different communication technologies,” said Wireless Nation Technical Director Tom Linn.

“They’ll flag any challenges they have in using them in the field, record the amount of time it takes them to set up communication systems, record the power supply requirements of equipment, and test the overall robustness of our communication systems.

“All of this data will help us ensure we provide world-class network solutions to the brave New Zealanders who risk their own lives to save others.”

Wireless Nation said it admires the work of New Zealand Search and Rescue so it was a natural fit for it to support YSAR.

“We pride ourselves on having the most comprehensive coverage across New Zealand, so it makes sense for us to provide our tech to help train tomorrow’s search and rescue crews,” Linn said.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/Nmedia

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