What sort of emergency are you planning for that would take out both POTS (dial up 56K), GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz), UMTS/HSDPA (850, 1900, 2100 MHz), T1, DSL, ADSL (2,2+) for your required data connectivity but not also take out another network such as HAM packet radio data (if available) or even your own network constructed using the fixed non LOS wireless Ethernet connections etc.
Ice Storm with Flood. That's the scenario and we have had a close call twice in the last 6 years.
Here in the USA, we don't have advanced data services over the air like you Europeans. I can't get any "3G" class data service at all, GSM/EDGE is spotty, at best. We have one carrier with a decent signal in the area (ATT), one with minimal signal (Verizon) none at all for Sprint and t-Mobile.
There is one tower covering the area, it's in a flood plain, and the equipment cabinet is not elevated.
All of the wireline communications into our area come in via one tree-line road. We lose those wires, we lose Telephone, T1, Cable TV.
Do you have Satellite Broadband services where you are located to act as the gateway for your private WWAN.
Sure! You tell me how to make my $3,000 a year budget pay the $125 a month service fee for that, and I'll be happy to consider it
Constructing your own emergency wireless network (combination of Routers, Wireless Ethernet, Satellite Broadband Gateway, and local Wifi would be expensive (the Power Supply requirements i.e. Solar Battery, Gen sets etc, create the additional expense) but again what makes you think that your own network would be anymore resilient than commercial providers except from the point of view of data communications congestion assuming of course that commercial networks either fixed cable, POTS, Wireless 2,3G are available in your area.
I'll have voice comms via county systems, which are properly constructed and backed up. What I won't have is access to are the surprisingly common data tools that we use all the time.
At this point, it's just a reality check - we have all these computer based (web based actually) tools for NIMS and NFIRS, and there's a slew of really handy online communications tools that let me do a lot with a little - but it all crashes down when I lose network.
One thing you DID bring to mind is the crappy Hughesnet system (which my mom has). I have seen a few folks who have that system in place at their homes, I could ask them if we could relocate their system temporarily in an emergency. It's got only 250Mb a day limits, and it's terribly slow, but it's better than nothing. Hmmm.....you know what? that WOULD work. I know at least three people who I could go to for this...
Hey, thanks! Problem solved. We simply get an agreement to pay their bill for the month + any data overage charges and I get a comms system without the monthly expense.
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