Earthquake Communication problems in the region made a huge impact and created a problem. Unfortunately, these problems also occur in future earthquakes. will be repeated.
In the last earthquake, the problems started as soon as the earthquake happened, as we said before. In this respect TR Communication Department, “All GSM operators have increased their capacity so that the people of the region do not suffer due to the earthquake in Pazarcık district of Kahramanmaraş. It will open the closed phone lines and provide internet service. It is announced to all our citizens” had made the statement. If later “All GSM operators have opened their phone lines, which were closed by increasing the capacity. It is announced to all our citizens.” it was said. When the normal lines were broken, people asked for help from Twitter for their relatives, one of these calls for help. It even went to Elon Musk. Yale University faculty member Mehmet Emin Adin tagged Elon Musk on Twitter, “Turkey and its neighboring countries were hit by a great earthquake. There are serious communication gaps. Any chance to help with your Starlink satellites?” Wrote. Musk shared, “Starlink has not yet been approved by the Turkish government. We can send as soon as confirmed” he replied. Official approval was not given on this issue, it was announced that it was not necessary. However, this system could have been very useful for a while.
Internet from space or satellite internet is still on the agenda because in the earthquakes that will happen in the coming period, other major disasters that will come our way. communication lines will collapse again, people in the region will not be able to achieve proper communication. Vodafone Turkey CEO explains why this will be the case, implicitly within the scope of the interview below. Engin Aksoy, base stations are located in a very limited area in the city centers where the population is dense. (Scope It is reported that it drops up to 1 km or even 200 meters. Base stations can cover 35 km in open terrain.) states that it can provide service, In case of demolition of buildings on which base stations are installed or Indicates that the connection is broken when the power is cut off. Here, some mobile stations come into play as a solution, but it takes time to bring them to the region and mobile base stations will be operated. Generators need constant fuel supply.
Of course, providing this fuel will be very, very difficult, especially in areas like Istanbul where there is no place to take a step, if an earthquake occurs, the roads will be completely closed. Stating that the risks specific to the buildings where the base stations are installed should be notified in advance, Engin Aksoy, it clearly reveals that they do not have a solution to prevent the communication connected to the infrastructure from being interrupted in the event of an earthquake. Satellite internet systems also require electricity for ground connection equipment (antenna etc.), but at least they can keep the region within the coverage area. Satellite-based systems, when electricity is somehow reactivated Unlike GSM companies, it can offer high-speed communication to everyone, and this can save thousands of lives.
? Why was there a problem in accessing GSM operators in the earthquake area?
As guest of Bloomberg HT GYY Açıl Sezen, Vodafone Turkey CEO Engin Aksoy talks pic.twitter.com/EgtL8MRZgV
— Bloomberg HT (@BloombergHT) February 15, 2023
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According to HaberTürk Vodafone Turkey CEO Engin Aksoy, He emphasized that they sent 1,345 generators, more than 450 personnel and all mobile base stations across the country to the disaster area. Aksoy stated that they took action as soon as they received the news of the earthquake and mobilized all their resources, and wished God’s mercy to the citizens who lost their lives, condolences and patience to their relatives, and a speedy recovery to the injured. Engin Aksoy, “Of course, one of the most basic needs in these difficult days is communication. However, thousands of buildings, including public buildings, have been destroyed in the region, and our base stations on top of the buildings have become unusable for this reason. We have a total of 3 thousand 50 base stations in 10 provinces affected by earthquakes. 25 percent of these stations are located in Hatay, Kahramanmaraş and Adıyaman.
A total of 1,345 generators were dispatched to operate the base stations in cities that were without electricity for a long time. We are mobilizing all our resources to provide energy to our base stations in the disaster area, but even if electricity comes to these stations, it takes a long time for them to become operational. We continue the repair work of base stations at full speed. In addition, we are working to replace our damaged base stations by sending all our mobile stations across Turkey to the region. We continue to work to increase this number.” he said.
Emphasizing that they sent more than 450 personnel to the region from the first day in order to carry out all these operations, Aksoy said, “So far, we have made 754 of our fields unusable due to the earthquake operational again. Almost all of our stations in the state of emergency are in service. We have approximately 3.7 million customers in the disaster area. As Vodafone, we will continue to do our best by using all our means.” said.