Globalstar, Inc. (NYSEMKT:GSAT) has said that its satellite communications solutions have been deployed to regions of Louisiana affected by flooding. The company is partnering with first responder communications provider Disaster Tech Lab to support emergency communication for rescue personnel.
For the critical communications support mission, teams of experts from Globalstar and Disaster Tech have pitched tents in Prairieville. From that operation base, they are providing satellite phone and other satellite-based communications in regions of Southeast Louisiana that have been cut off from regular forms of communication.
The teams that are carrying out relief operations are also being monitored using a technology called SPOT tracking.
Meeting with incident commanders
Though teams of Globalstar and Disaster Tech are already out to troubleshoot and fix network issues, they are also engaging representatives of the affected communities and incident commanders to evaluate the need for additional communications services, including Internet access.
The assessment of the need for other communications solutions will also see the teams meet with officials of the Department of Homeland Security, law enforcement and first responder organizations.
A member of the Disaster Tech team, Jonathan Creasy, described the devastation caused by flooding in Louisiana as overwhelming. Creasy said that a drive through the neighborhood showed them that in some areas water was up to the roof.
Because of the widespread flooding, the teams see much work to be done to support rescue operations and restore normal communication in the regions.
The founder of Disaster Tech, Evert Bopp, noted that deploying of satellite equipment will help in supporting immediate communications need considering that there are already thousands of people in shelters, while many more are being rescued.
Quest for control of TLPS
Globalstar is coming to support critical communication in Louisiana in the wake of flooding in the region at a time when the company is also pressing the FCC to allow it to use Terrestrial Low Power Service (TLPS). The company has repeatedly argued that taking control of TLPS will serve the interest of the public, claiming that the move will add 22 megahertz to the country’s broadband spectrum inventory. But some companies are opposed to its request to control TLPS.
How GSAT fared in 2Q
In 2Q2016, Globalstar posted EPS of $0.01, outpacing the consensus estimate that called for EPS loss of $0.02 for the quarter. However, the EPS figure reported for the latest quarter was sharply below EPS of $0.17 for the same quarter last year. Globalstar generated revenue of $25.09 million in the latest quarter, indicating a 9% YoY improvement.