UNPREDICTABILITY

IS THE NEW NORMAL

"The effectiveness of your crisis management
can decide your organization’s future
– and whether it even has one"

INSIDE
1. BAD THINGS ARE GOING 5. TECHNOLOGY PLATFORMS
TO HAPPEN – PROS AND CONS

2. NEW AGENDAS, 6. BIG UNCERTAINTIES NEED CLEAR

DIFFERENT METRICS DECISIONS

3. EVERYTHING IS IN FLUX 7. BUYER BEWARE

4. DECISIONS AND CHOICES 8. TAKE A STEP BACK

TO BE MADE
 UNPREDICTABILITY IS THE NEW NORMAL

1 2
BAD THINGS ARE NEW AGENDAS,
GOING TO HAPPEN DIFFERENT
METRICS
Crisis and unpredictability are
rapidly becoming the new norm. Everything’s getting more complicated,
inter-connected and unpredictable.
We’re faced with massive disruption
from climate change, unprecedented The basic assumptions behind utility
weather, aging infrastructure operations are facing unprecedented
and malicious action, on top of all change, and weather and climate are
the usual operating challenges and threat multipliers beyond our control.
technical issues. Page 5
Page 4

3
EVERYTHING
IS IN FLUX

It’s difficult to deal with escalating

costs and problems if you can’t rely
on your communication network.
Your operation’s reputation can
quickly be at risk – its very existence
might even be threatened.

Far-sighted decision-makers need

to get ahead of the game
Page 10

4
DECISIONS AND
CHOICES TO BE
MADE

Reliable communication is vital for

dealing with crises, emergencies and
power outages. Effective decisions
require up-to-date information.

See a down-to-earth check list of

the many different challenges and
considerations involved.
Page 14

2
 UNPREDICTABILITY IS THE NEW NORMAL

5
TECHNOLOGY
PLATFORMS –
PROS AND CONS

Many different technologies – old and

new – are available for helping and
enabling your utility operations with the PROS
most important communication needs.
AND
See the in-depth pros and cons of the CONS
most widely used technology platforms.
Page 16

6
BIG UNCERTAINTIES NEED
CLEAR DECISIONS

Plans about resilient communication capabilities involve

big decisions that range way beyond tech specs, hardware
considerations and simple pricing.

See practical checklists for how to prioritize your

next-generation requirements – including the digital
transition.
Page 22

7 8
BUYER TAKE A
BEWARE STEP BACK

Your purchasing decisions will “Managing crises is the new normal.”

involve more than technical
assessments, ROI calculations and
cost-effectiveness projections.
Before you make big decisions, get
an overview of the political and
strategic considerations, compliance
issues, financial aspects, and more.
Page 25
The key driver for communication
capabilities lies in providing your
organization with the best possible
basis for implementing operations-
critical decisions.
Such decisions must NOT be affected
by unreliable equipment, patchy
coverage and unforeseen events.
Page 27

3
 1

BAD THINGS ARE

GOING TO HAPPEN
ARE YOU READY FOR THEM?

It’s not easy to deal with the multiple threats of climate change, unprecedented
weather patterns, aging infrastructure and terrorist attacks. All of these occur
on top of the usual technical issues and operating challenges. In many places,
the level of uncertainty and risk facing those responsible for modern utility
operations is now at levels never seen before.

And particularly so when you have to use outdated communication equipment

– designed for a world long gone – to pass on work orders, share information,
and get the information you need to make the best decisions.

Situational awareness doesn’t arrive all by itself.

4
 UNPREDICTABILITY IS THE NEW NORMAL / CHAPTER 2

NEW AGENDAS,
DIFFERENT METRICS
Once upon a time, utility operations had pretty much one
main focus – producing or sourcing electrical power, and getting
it to customers, whether industrial, commercial or consumer.
But the days of predictable and continuity are over. Nowadays
everything’s getting a whole lot more complicated. In our
inter-connected world, nothing happens in isolation.
Glitches, breakdowns and supply interruptions result in
substantial cascading effects that ripple out across society,
impacting species safety, natural habitats, environmental
treasures, landscapes and historical monuments, human
activity and basic human requirements of all kinds.
That’s why it’s necessary to do a whole lot more to
respond quickly and effectively to energy and power supply
vulnerabilities – whatever the origin or cause. And perhaps
even to source and use key information to get ahead of the
game, instead of having to react once time has run out and
the damage is almost done.
A new generation of thinking – featuring different types of
decisions and decision-making tools – is needed. Planners as
well as decision-makers in utility operations worldwide need
2
the best communication tools to implement these difficult
decisions effectively and reliably.
WEATHER AND CLIMATE BEYOND
OUR CONTROL
Two important things we cannot control are the weather
and climate change – and the impact they have on the
infrastructure of our society and the way we all live.
As temperatures rise worldwide due to climate change, more
and more people and businesses turn on air conditioning
systems, fans and other cooling equipment. This increases the
overall load on power suppliers and places greater strain on
the grid.
Unpredictable storms and extreme weather – and wildfires
in particular – also impact utility operations both directly and
indirectly. When power lines and towers go down, so too do
many parts of the usual communication networks. They either
get damaged or destroyed, or stop working because they no
longer have a power source.

GETTING HIT BY WEATHER

Major weather-related power outages cost Americans between USD 20–55 billion annually,
according to recent estimates.

28 years of power outage data that utility companies supplied to the US federal government
and the North American Electric Reliability Corporation, as analyzed by Climate Central, shows:
• A tenfold increase in major power outages between the mid-1980s and 2012
• The average annual number of weather-related power outages doubled
• Weather caused 80% of all outages between 2003–2012

The main causes of these weather-related outages were:

• Storms and severe weather 59%
• Cold weather and ice storms nearly 19%
• Hurricanes and tropical storms 18%
• Tornadoes 13%
• Extreme heat events and wildfires 2%

https://www.climatecentral.org/news/weather-related-blackouts-doubled-since-2003-report-17281

5
 Research has also shown clear correlations between climate
change and power outages. According to one source, turbulent
weather conditions – increasingly driven by climate change –
have resulted in tenfold increases in major power outages in
the US in just thirty years.
The 2021 wildfire season has also been notable for large,
serious conflagrations on multiple continents. By the year’s
mid-point, worldwide wildfire events were larger than
in previous history, with the intensity and scale of fires
increased by the greater prevalence of extreme weather
caused by climate change.
In the summer of 2021, huge fires were yet again
blazing throughout western parts of the US as well as
in Greece, Spain and Siberia, following on from record
heatwaves, with experts warning about an unprecedented
feedback cycle of extreme heat, drought and fire, all
amplified by the effects of climate change.
Inadequate preparedness for such increasingly extreme
weather puts people, infrastructure, natural environments
and entire economies at risk. This places a lot of pressure on
all the many decision-makers responsible for planning and
implementing the utility operations of the future.
THREAT MULTIPLIERS
Weather is only part of the operational equations for the
future – and it’s not the same as climate.
Climate change is a significant threat multiplier that acts in
countless different ways. As heavily emphasized in the latest
2021 report1 from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change (the United Nations body for assessing the science
related to climate change), extreme weather events related
to climate change are already having significant, accelerating
negative impacts on critical infrastructure, disrupting
the food supply for entire populations, threatening water
supplies and causing deaths and injuries worldwide.
Even more importantly, this crucial report – which is likely
to provide the backdrop for much future decision-making
in government as well as the private sector – predicts that
these climate-induced changes will accelerate and get worse.
And will do so quickly.

On June 18, 2021

energy providers in
California were
already being pushed
to the limit, and issued
a Flex Alert ”to reduce
stress on the power
grid due to extreme
heat”.

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change AR6 Climate Change 2021: https://www.ipcc.ch/assessment-report/ar6/

6
 UNPREDICTABILITY IS THE NEW NORMAL / CHAPTER 2

July 2021 – hottest month ever recorded

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(a US federal scientific and regulatory agency), in July 2021 the combined
land and ocean-surface temperature was 0.93°C (1.68°F) above the
twentieth-century average of 15.8°C (60.4°F). This is the highest
temperature since record-keeping began 142 years ago.

7
 The demands of the future
We need to ensure our energy system can cope with the demands of the future.
Smart technologies will help us to tackle climate change while making sure that the
lights stay on and bills stay low.
Anne-Marie Trevelyan, UK energy and climate change minister, 2021

TECHNOLOGY TRANSITIONS

In many parts of the world, the technology platforms (coal, natural gas, oil, shale oil, nuclear, wind, solar, etc.)
providing the electrical power that utility companies distribute and sell are also undergoing unprecedented change,
and at an unprecedented rate.

Whether to establish or maintain competitive advantage, to reduce supply vulnerabilities or to comply with regulatory
pressure as well as expectations associated with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the 2015 Paris Agreement.

The more parameters in play, the greater the level of uncertainty in decision-making and the greater the challenges for
the kinds of communication, control and monitoring solutions needed to implement your big decisions.

8

https://www.ipcc.ch/assessment-report/ar6/
BIGGER CHALLENGES, HIGHER
EXPECTATIONS, BIGGER DECISIONS
In many places, the baseline assumptions and benchmarks
for utility operations are also encountering unprecedented
change. Such developments are resulting in a changing
discourse about utility companies and their operations, featuring
bigger decisions, higher expectations and wider perspectives.
Historical data is often difficult to depend on when you
have to make decisions about the future. To be aware
about what’s going on and to make better, well-informed
decisions, you need reliable information and better access to
large quantities of data. You also need new kinds of tools to
transmit, receive and implement the necessary control and
response decisions amid unpredictable circumstances.
UNPREDICTABILITY IS THE NEW NORMAL / CHAPTER 2
FIT FOR THE FUTURE
In some countries, utility operations are also being faced with
a significant new mindset about their overall role in society.
In the United Kingdom, for example, government plans are
for the National Grid (a private-sector company that has
managed the country’s energy system for more than 30 years)
to be replaced by an independent ”future system operator”.
This new operator would be tasked with helping steer the
country towards its agreed climate targets, at the lowest cost
to those paying the energy bills, by providing impartial data
and advice based on an overhaul of the rules governing the
UK energy system to make it “fit for the future”.
These kinds of “fit for the future” concerns are increasingly
likely to become a key determinant for the operating and
regulatory requirements that utility companies all over the
world have to deal with in the years to come.
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 3

EVERYTHING IS
IN FLUX

CHANGING CONDITIONS

The baseline assumptions and benchmarks for utility
operations are encountering unprecedented change in
many places. Pretty much everything is in flux, from basic
operating benchmarks and weather conditions to strategic
objectives and expectations about your organization’s role
in society.
Such conditions are difficult to deal with if communication
setups are not reliable. It’s difficult for a utility company
to react quickly and effectively to power outages if it’s not
possible to receive full reports about what’s happening, or
coordinators are unable to get in touch with field operatives
properly.

Turbulent weather conditions – increasingly driven by

climate change – have resulted in many more incidences
of things like masts and power lines downed or broken
by wind, snow, rain, fire or flood, and other more or less
foreseeable operational mishaps.

In the US, for instance, such conditions have resulted in

tenfold increases in major power outages over just thirty
years.

According to a 2012 US government report1, the typical

American can expect to lose power an average of
1.5 times a year for a total of 240 minutes. Figures vary
by country, but the typical Western European country can
expect to lose power an average of once a year for a total
of 58 minutes.

1
https://www.climatecentral.org/news/weather-related-blackouts-doubled-since-2003-report-17281

10
 UNPREDICTABILITY IS THE NEW NORMAL / CHAPTER 3

120

100
US POWER OUTAGES

Weather-related 80

Number of outages
Non weather-related
60

40

20

0
2000 2019

https://ccimgs-2020.s3.amazonaws.com/2020PowerOutages/2020PowerOutages_Line_en_title_lg.jpg

ESCALATING COSTS claims and compensation demands for destroyed homes,

Once upon a time, power outages mostly just meant loss
of revenue, disgruntled citizens and some very angry
customers. Nowadays, in our increasingly energy-dependent,
inter-connected and litigious society, the impact costs are
escalating dramatically. In addition to often-crippling loss of
revenue, a utility company probably also has to deal with
regulatory fines, customer compensation schemes, insurance
businesses and possessions, etc. In many cases, such
indirect, punitive costs can quickly outstrip the direct costs.
Power outages can also result in severe – sometimes even
terminal – damage to a utility company’s market reputation,
credit rating and insurance premiums. Reputational risk is
a matter of increasing concern for owners, investors and
business partners.

COMPANY EXPERIENCE DURING A POWER OUTAGE

AFTER A POWER OUTAGE IN AUSTRALIA /NZ

33% Take more than

a day to recover 33% of companies lose
$18,500 to $465,000

Take more than a of companies lose

week to recover $465,000 to $1,860,000

90% Of companies survive < 18 months

after a computer disaster
of companies lose
$1,860,000 to $2,400,000

https://www.csoonline.com/article/3065423/maintaining-a-utilitys-security-and-reputational-risk-is-vitally-important.html

11
 DOMINO EFFECTS THE BIG COST OF DOING NOTHING

In the world of infrastructure planning and management,
power outages are a particularly sensitive issue, because
they impact all parts of our society.
They also have crucial cascading effects for the many
emergency services workers whose job it often is to help
tackle the big-impact problems that also affect power
installations. Firefighters, rescue and ambulance services,
law enforcement agencies, civil defense personnel, etc. all
need reliable power in order to do their jobs effectively.
If they can’t get such power, the costs of public safety
operations escalate significantly, and their operational
effectiveness plunges dramatically.
This in turn re-impacts attempts to carry out remedial and
repair work on utilities infrastructure that may already be
exposed to extreme weather, massive wildfires, earthquakes
and even civil unrest.
For utility companies, the cost of doing nothing can
be tremendous, and the financial and regulatory penalties
stemming from failure to react promptly and effectively
can be huge.
But how can we tackle this major operational challenge
when we have no influence on basic things like the weather?
Those who plan and make the big decisions about our future
infrastructure – and about how best to configure it – cannot
afford to leave such big issues open to chance, or to simply
react once the damage is done.
Far-sighted decision-makers involved with utilities need to
get ahead of the game.

This then releases a domino effect of chaos and practical

– sometimes even civil – disruption, followed by additional
practical difficulties with administering rolling blackouts,
post-incident patching, power re-routing, and re-establishing
any required levels of service.

INTERCONNECTED ANSWERS
– AN INDIAN EXAMPLE

In 2018, the Indian government’s Ministry of Power

advised that air conditioning units be set to run at a
minimum default temperature of 24°C (75°F). The
aim was to reduce energy consumption, based on
calculations that each degree of air conditioning output
involves a 6% increase in energy consumption.

Such energy-saving measures are good for the

environment. However, the reduction in energy
consumption also helps limit and roll back some of the
many power outages that are constantly impacting public
safety agencies’ abilities to communicate and operate.

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 UNPREDICTABILITY IS THE NEW NORMAL / CHAPTER 3

When push comes to shove, utilities

are selling / customers are buying
reliability – not lottery tickets for
possible power supplies.

13
 4

DECISIONS AND CHOICES TO BE MADE

DECISIONS DEMAND INFORMATION THE BASIC CHALLENGES

Effective, timely decisions require communication
capabilities that give you:
Two-way communication between HQ/control
centers, mobile units and field operatives that
you can rely on – regardless of location or
weather conditions
Effective, reliable communication capabilities are vital for
dealing with crises, emergencies and power outages of all
kinds.In our worldwide experience, utility companies are
facing three main challenges in their communication networks:
Lack of traditional radio coverage in remote areas and/or
difficult terrain, whether urban or rural

Up-to-date, easy-to-use information about exactly

what is happening throughout your operations –
and often also in surrounding areas – that might
impact your facilities and installations
Prompt, reliable information about any significant
changes in conditions, so you have a chance
to react to threats, damage and disasters that
might impact your ability to manage and deliver
power
High/increasing cost of maintaining legacy infrastructure
that is quickly becoming obsolescent
General lack of the kinds of reliable data communication
capabilities essential for digitally based or digitally driven
operations, and for rapid, effective decision-making based
on such operations-critical data

Practical help with ensuring a rapid return

to service after any outage or damage

Practical help with pre-emptive problem-avoidance

measures

Greater cost-effectiveness in deploying your

manpower and resources

14

This is an overview of the most important technology
platforms for professional wireless communication currently
in widespread use on the commercial market. Wireless
communication provides a key part of the infrastructure
underpinning emergency services and public safety
organizations.
The desired capabilities are needed to provide emergency
response capabilities at times when lives, countryside,
property and possessions are at risk. This means they have
to work at sharp-end, practical levels, and often in extreme
conditions and unplanned, unforeseen contexts.
It is a technically complex field involving many different
parties and perspectives at administrative, funding,
decision-making and practical levels.
UNPREDICTABILITY IS THE NEW NORMAL / CHAPTER 4
The considerations involved usually include:
The specifications of your existing communication
equipment
How much these legacy setups and configurations
restrict or influence your decision-making
Whether the technical decision-making at your
organization or agency tends to be driven by
top-downor bottom-up thinking
How well that equipment meets your organization’s
current operating needs
How much those operating requirements are likely
to change in the near-term and long-term future
The purchasing, operating and maintenance
budgets you have available – now and in the future
Which technical standards and data privacy
compliance requirements are in force
Public expectations about emergency response
capabilities and the quality of service to be provided
Political expectations about what your organization
should be capable of in the future.
This means there is no best/worst or right/wrong decision.
Effective planning, technical specifications and purchasing
frameworks have to take countless different concerns and
priorities into consideration.
15
 5 TECHNOLOGY PROS AND CONS
Many different technologies are currently
available for supporting the mission-critical
communication needs encountered in
utility operations. Those currently in most
widespread use include:
• Analog radio networks
• Digital radio networks
• Cellular networks
• Specialized cellular networks
• Satellite-based networks
There are substantial differences
between the technologies most widely
used and best liked in different parts
of the world, for all kinds of historical,
strategic and political reasons.

1 Traditional Land Mobile Radio (LMR) networks

Usually consists of a private network based on the use of two-way VHF radios – either mobile
(vehicle mounted) or handheld – and repeaters installed in buildings with an antenna on the
roof or on a mast or tower

PROS
• Relatively simple, tried-and-tested
technology that’s familiar to many
people in many places – it’s basically
your grandfather’s radio, though
nowadays sometimes made partially
digital
• Radio networks are not usually shared
with other users. This means they
don’t get congested during critical
events and emergencies.
• Free of charge communication
between radios
CONS
• Traditional analog radios can only be used for voice
communication
• Radios are not as sophisticated as cellular phones and TECHNOLOGY/
do not include often-needed capabilities such as web PLATFORM
access, navigation, data transfer, etc.
• Making calls from radios to ordinary cellphones is OPTIONS
normally impossible
• In remote areas, radio networks using LTE, UHF and
VHF channels often only provide poor coverage, raising
important safety issues for utility operatives
• Networks using proprietary hardware can rarely
communicate with each other – additional specialist
equipment is usually required to link them together
• Radio networks are normally extremely vulnerable to
accidents, bad weather and natural disasters – and tend
to get put out of action when most needed
• Building, operating and maintaining any proprietary radio
network is relatively expensive
• Traditional radio networks and legacy equipment are
expensive to maintain and become obsolescent quickly

2 Digital Mobile Radio (DMR) networks

Digital radio networks use digital technology to transmit or receive data and voice communication
across the radio spectrum.

PROS
• Can usually provide effective data and
voice communication, with encryption, text
messaging and GPS location if needed
• In some countries, DMR can be used on
unlicensed spectrums at lower power
• DMR standards provide some limited
interoperability between different equipment
manufacturers
• Ideal for building small networks with limited
coverage, operating from a single tower
CONS
• Installing DMR infrastructure (repeaters,
tower leases, backhaul connections) is
relatively expensive
• High operating and maintenance costs
• Coverage is limited by the number and
location of towers
• Radio networks are normally extremely
vulnerable to accidents, bad weather and
natural disasters – and tend to get put out
of action when most needed

16
 3 Commercially available 3G/4G/5G and LTE cellular
networks
In much of the world, commercial cellular networks have become a standard feature of everyday life,
and are widely available at relatively limited cost.

PROS
• Cellular networks are a relatively simple,
tried-and-tested digital technology that’s
familiar almost everywhere in the world
• Most people have a cellphone and know
how to use it – so less training is required
• Can be used for voice and data
• Ideal for use with a wide range of digital
tools and services – both mainstream and
specialist
CONS
• Commercial cellular networks often get swamped by
other traffic at times of crisis (when you need them most)
• Problems and long-term vulnerabilities associated with
the origins of key equipment used in cellular networks
• There are often problems with “dead spots” where cellu-
lar coverage is unreliable or non-existent
• Capabilities usually associated with radio solutions are
often unavailable on cellular networks
• Cellular network towers are very vulnerable to wildfires,
earthquakes, storms, and exceptional weather.
• Cellular networks are vulnerable to ransomware, spy-
ware, DoS attacks and industrial espionage.
• Cellular devices cannot communicate with other
devices in direct mode or talk-around mode when the
network is down

4 Specialized cellular networks

Based on our experience,
here is a broad overview
of the advantages and
disadvantages of different
basic technologies and
technology platforms
normally used for resilient
communication frameworks
in utility operations.
These are reserved for use by emergency services, public safety organizations and first responders.
They “piggy-back” on traditional commercial cellular networks, but run on a separate frequency
spectrum over a separate core network.
PROS CONS
• Specifically allocated for use by first responders and • Many of the same core weaknesses
public safety organizations. It is always available to and vulnerabilities as commercial cellular
those who need to use it. networks
• Emergency services through priority and • Only provide limited availability and
preemption, so there’s no competing traffic to cause accessibility – many rural and remote
congestion, connectivity blockages and service fall-outs areas are not covered by commercial
• All the features people normally use on their cellular networks
smartphones are still available, and at similar cost
• Can be used for voice and data

5 Satellite-based networks
Networks that transmit the signals via satellite are able to avoid most of the vulnerabilities normally
associated with ground-based hardware.

Satellite-based networks are now usually the preferred option in the many situations where transmission
towers/masts and other accident-prone installations are impractical, ineffective or too expensive.

PROS
• Always available – often preferred where BLOS
(beyond line of sight) capabilities are required for
communication over extended distances, without
additional hardware/signal reinforcement
• Very reliable – even in the most rigorous conditions,
and over extreme distances
• Quickly scalable at relatively limited cost because
there is no infrastructure to build out (no towers,
repeaters, backhaul, spectrum licenses)
• Avoid most of the vulnerabilities normally encountered
with ground-based hardware and installations
• Many satellite operators now provide flat-rate
airtime packages that ensure fixed, budgetable costs
for as-needed roaming
• Can be used for voice and data, and is fully interoperable
with LMR radio infrastructure
CONS
• Often perceived (incorrectly) as
relatively new/complicated and untried
• It is expensive to use but not when
used in the right way
• Possible problems with getting
contractually and technically “locked”
into services provided by a specific
satellite service provider
• Data transfer rates are often relatively
slow, and feature higher latency
• Not suitable for indoor use – coverage is
usually only available if there is a clear view
of the sky. Signals can get blocked if users
are underground or inside buildings

17
 NAVIGATING ALPHABET SOUP
Unfortunately, many discussions about communication
capabilities and the hardware and software needed to
ensure these end up as alphabet soup and a jungle of
insiders-only techno-speak.
For decision-makers from outside the highly specialized
worlds of communication technology, and other mere
mortals, this whole discussion can be difficult to navigate.
At a more practical level, anyone trying to make sense of it
all is often confronted with a mass of clunky black boxes and
lists of what these boxes cannot do.
How can it be so difficult for people just to talk to each
other over the air waves? Radio began to be used
commercially around 1900, but in the modern world it
somehow it seems to have got harder rather than easier.
PATCHING THE PAST DOESN’T CUT IT
In an increasingly digital world, voice communication alone
is often insufficient for the practical needs encountered in
modern utility operations. These are experiencing an increasing
18
need for reliable access to data for normal, day-to-day
operations and when dealing with emergencies.
Traditional radio-based, analog infrastructure was never
designed to provide such data-driven capabilities. As a
result, once-OK communication solutions all too often end
up as relatively clumsy patches and add-ons that don’t really
address your particular utility company’s real needs, either
currently or in the future.
This is why a lot of effort has been put into digital radio
solutions that can handle voice and data communication,
and also open the interoperability gates into the digital
mainstream.
These limitations also result in the increasing use of commercial
cellular networks as a supplement and/or replacement for
Land Mobile Radio (LMR) networks. Unfortunately, such
cellular networks suffer from similar kinds of weaknesses,
unreliability and vulnerability, because coverage is often
patchy or unreliable, and in remote areas perhaps wholly
non-existent.
In emergency situations – such as floods, earthquakes
and wildfires – cellular networks are just as vulnerable as

traditional radios, because the antennas and towers they
rely on often get damaged or destroyed. And in emergency
situations, experience shows that such networks and any
remaining antennae quickly suffer from traffic overloads,
often leaving the emergency services unable to get through
to each other.
Events such as the 9/11 attacks in the US, the Boston
Marathon bombings, the AT&T Tennessee bombing on
Christmas Day 2020 and the German river floodings in
summer 2021 did much to highlight the many practical
deficiencies of traditional radio-based communication
systems and their near-total lack of interoperability.
These kinds of vulnerabilities and bottlenecks simply
aren’t acceptable for the kinds of communications and
decision relays needed in operations-critical situations and
emergencies.
Far-sighted decision-makers involved with planning, delivering
and coordinating utilities operations need to get ahead of
the game. The emphasis should be on reliable, easy-to-
use communications setups that improve, strengthen and
streamline their operations – rather than restricting them.
UNPREDICTABILITY IS THE NEW NORMAL / CHAPTER 5
COMPLICATED DECISIONS
Each of these technologies has – or once had – its own
advantages, or has been seen as having certain specific ad-
vantages because of history, geography or special-interest
concerns and influences. Our experience with installations
all over the world is that such preferences and decisions are
rarely wholly technical or entirely operational.
At “lower” operational levels, familiarity often has a big
value – people know what they’re used to working with and
have perhaps built up years’ of practical experience with a
particular system. Users often perceive change as difficult,
bothersome and time-consuming, while administrators and
decision-makers often associate change with downtime, and
with needs for costly training.
19
 MIX’N’MATCH
In real-world scenarios for utility
operations, it’s rarely a question of
either/or, for at least three main
reasons:
20
Few utility companies have communication setups that are even
close to ideal – perhaps not even when they were originally installed.
In our experience, many purchasing decisions about communication
hardware and systems are based on unholy mixtures of practical
expediency, budgetary constraints and the dark art of the
“perceived possible”. Pragmatic patching based on legacy equipment
tends to take precedence over the kinds of forward-looking new
thinking that could enable big leaps in operational capabilities and
efficiency.
Most utility companies and the setups they work with feature a
mixture of legacy communication equipment with a range of
specialist systems tacked on. Standardization is often limited.
Decision-makers rarely want to make major CAPEX investments
in new infrastructure, and therefore often tend to prefer to
“mix’n’match” any new hardware with existing setups, to help keep
capital costs down.
This is why integration and switching between any networks and
equipment currently available is often the easiest way for utility
operations to ensure cost-effective access to voice and data services
in any given location.
 UNPREDICTABILITY IS THE NEW NORMAL / CHAPTER 5

THE “INTEGRATION APPROACH”

This kind of “integration approach” often paves the way to a utility company or
other organization being able to make the most of the systems it already has.

This in turn often helps do away with the need to invest the really big bucks into
installing and maintaining new, additional infrastructure.

However, it also places considerable demands on traditional radio network-minded

suppliers, which are often “wedded” to one particular proprietary solution or legacy
technology, and to highlighting and emphasizing the benefits of these.

In the real world, and with modern technical capabilities, the situation is usually
much less “black and white”. With the right know-how, a lot is possible with relatively
limited investment and changes.

In the specialist world of resilient communication, the current magic words are
“augmented networks”.

This usually refers to systems that make it possible to “mix’n’match” and to combine
legacy systems with new technology, and seamlessly link different familiar, amortized
communication setups to get “the best of multiple platforms”, based on the practical
needs of each individual operator and utility company.

There is no “one size fits all”.

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 6 HELP WITH THE DECISIONS YOU’RE FACING

Plans and considerations about new resilient communication

capabilities involve big decisions that range far beyond tech

BIG UNCERTAINTIES specs, hardware considerations and delivery pricing.

NEED The desired capabilities are needed to provide emergecy

CLEAR DECISIONS response capabilities at times when lives, countryside, property

and possessions are at risk. This means they have to work at
sharp-end, practical levels, and often in extreme conditions and
unplanned, unforeseen contexts.

It is a technically complex field involving many different

parties and perspectives at administrative, funding,
decision-making and practical levels.

The considerations involved usually include:

The specifications of your existing communication
equipment

How much these legacy setups and configurations

restrict or influence your decision-making

Whether the technical decision-making at your

organization or agency tends to be driven by top-down
or bottom-up thinking

How well that equipment meets your organization’s

current operating needs

How much those operating requirements are likely to

change in the near-term and long-term future

The purchasing, operating and maintenance budgets you

have available – now and in the future

Which technical standards and data privacy compliance

requirements are in force

Public expectations about emergency response

capabilities and the quality of service to be provided

Political expectations about what your organization should

be capable of in the future.

This means there is no best/worst or right/wrong decision.

Effective planning, technical specifications and purchasing
frameworks have to take countless different concerns and
priorities into consideration.

22

ISSUES ABOUND
If you’re a decision-maker in a utility company, you’ll
probably have to consider issues that will include:
A need for extremely robust decision-making frame-
works to keep power supplies resilient in emergencies
and other operations-critical circumstances
The need to be sure you have the tools required to
prevent uncontrolled, cascading outages
National grids and system interconnectivity tend to
mean that few issues and situations are purely local
nowadays – especially when supply difficulties and
emergencies arise
Technology flexibility and upgradability – avoid getting
locked into traditional hardware traps and technology
dead-ends
Compliance with future regulatory frameworks and
corporate responsibility expectations
The ability to cope with unforeseen and as-yet probably
inconceivable emergencies
Unforeseen and unpredictable weather patterns and
events, unlike anything we’ve seen before
Changes in climate conditions that – directly or indirectly
– completely upend some of the basic operating
assumptions for the utilities business model as we
know it
Substantial changes in how power is produced, and
where it’s sourced from. for any tender process or supplier requirements.
UNPREDICTABILITY IS THE NEW NORMAL / CHAPTER 6
CAPABILITIES TO ACQUIRE?
To help any decision-maker, purchasing overview panel
or funding allocator move onwards in this technical jungle,
here is an overview of different, specific operational
objectives you might wish to achieve:
“Rescuing” past investments in legacy hardware
and systems
Simply doing the same things better
Extended range for your communication coverage
Hardening critical communications networks to
ensure they keep working during network outages
and natural disasters
Accessing new operating and monitoring capabilities
Introducing greater levels of security
Reducing operating costs
Ensuring greater communication reliability
Future-proofing your communication capabilities in
terms of technical specs and compatibility
Better access to data for better decision-making and
greater operational flexibility
Better compliance with safety/HSE requirements
Each of these involves a different set of technical and
operating parameters that you would need to take into
consideration, and to include in the list of requirements
23
 THINK CONNECTIVITY, DRIVE DIGITAL
Let’s face it, the world is going seriously digital. And has already
done so in the vast majority of technical fields. If you and
your operatives, owners, shareholders, supervisors, regulators
(etc.) are to get the most out of the digital transformation
and energy re-alignments barreling down towards us, your
communication infrastructure has to at least be compatible
with the digital mainstream.
And at best be able to make the most of new generations of
digital tools and services, by being digitally interoperable.
GET TECHNICAL PITCHES “TRANSLATED”
INTO REAL-WORLD SENSE
What does all this add up to? Don’t be dazzled by engineer-speak
or all the exotic technical abbreviations – zero in on your
organization’s actual needs, and the worst-case scenarios
most realistically likely for your particular flavor of operations.
Get technical people and potential hardware suppliers to
“translate” their pitches and proposals into the kinds of
real-world operating scenarios and problem-solving
challenges that make solid practical sense for your people,
your customers and your stakeholders.

LOOK FORWARD NOT BACK There is no “one size fits all” solution – make sure your future
“communication backbone” setup meets your organization’s
The best decisions are usually based on clear appreciation unique needs for failsafe communication. Asking the right
and assessments of your organization’s own distinctive needs questions and insisting on clear, de-jargonized answers are an
and requirements, looking forwards to the future rather than important part of this process.
backwards to “what we usually do” and “what we used to
do”. Solving tomorrow’s problems by dwelling in the past is
unlikely to provide you with a fit-for-purpose, future-proof
solution.

The technology is developing by leaps and bounds, while

the regulatory expectations and operational requirements
in many countries are also undergoing drastic change.
Yesterday’s shiny new kit can quickly become tomorrow’s
clunky white elephant.

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 UNPREDICTABILITY IS THE NEW NORMAL / CHAPTER 7

BUYER BEWARE
DECISIONS DEMAND INFORMATION
Furthermore, in many situations decisions about resilient
communication setups now involve a whole lot more than
traditional technical assessments, ROI calculations and
cost-effectiveness projections.
COMPLIANCE COUNTS
7
Nowadays, practical usefulness and power delivery are far
from the only criteria used in selecting and configuring the
kinds of resilient communications capabilities needed for utility
operations.

Based on our worldwide experience in this highly specialized Processes, procedures, hardware capabilities and regulatory
field, the bigger-picture political and strategic considerations compliance all have to be comprehensively documented,
you might well have to address will probably include: validated and certified, for reasons that include:

Interoperability with communication solutions used by Rules about national – and sometimes international
other key players likely to be involved in “crunch time” – regulatory compliance
decision-making – such as government agencies,
Requirements for appropriate insurance coverage and
emergency services, disaster relief organizations, etc.
indemnity protection frameworks
The “politics” (whether explicit or covert) of key suppliers
Requirements needed to avoid legal blow-back and
– you don’t want possible international embargoes and
indemnity payments
sanctions to leave your all-important communication
infrastructure exposed and vulnerable. Worker safety requirements and HSE legislation,
both national and local
Global logistics supply chains seem increasingly
vulnerable – and vulnerability is something you don’t Effective error tracing and fault identification procedures
want with regard to the availability of additional
equipment or spare parts for your critical comms setup. Compliance with national or international regulations is
increasingly becoming a key component in decisions about
Installing shiny new hardware is one thing – can you be
”license to operate” frameworks for forward-thinking utility
sure of service, technical backup and spare parts over the
operations.
expected service life of the equipment you’re thinking of
buying?

You won’t want to be locked into one particular technical

configuration. Experience shows that these can quickly
become obsolescent. Flexibility is increasingly important as
the speed of technological development increases.

Can you be sure the suppliers you’re looking at won’t

get bought up or just go out of business, leaving your
networks and hardware hanging high and dry? Are there
provisions for dealing with such a situation?

Do the suppliers you’re looking at provide credible

modernization, upgrade and scalability paths for the
future, so it’ll be relatively easy for you to benefit from
new technical developments?

Do the suppliers you’re considering provide performance

guarantees and/or other similar reassurances? Do
they provide appropriate training for your people?

Is it compliant with current and foreseeable technical

requirements and certification programs?

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 MONEY MATTERS

If your utility operations network rests on good, timely

decisions made of the basis of the most, up-to-date, accurate
information available, you’ll see why effective, reliable and
secure communication is important for your company’s future,
especially when having to deal with unforeseen situations and
ever-increasing threats and crises – whether large or small.

The financial well-being and results of your particular

setup also depend on you being able to implement effective
decisions using the best information available.

Failure to do so can result in accidents, service interruptions,

rule-breaking and inefficiencies that can result in loss of
revenue, fines, extra costs and worse. These all have serious
impacts on financial results, profit margins, ROI and balance
sheets.

Few owners and operators of utilities operations can afford to

overlook the communications element when planning for good
financial results

THE PROOF IS IN THE RESULTS

Hardware isn’t much use unless it’s properly certified, and

people find it easy to use. It’s important to find out exactly
which decisions, functions and processes you want any
new communication solution to achieve for your company
or organization.

Tomorrow isn’t going to be like yesterday or today.

But – in general – you’re probably going to have to pave
the way for rapidly increasing and accelerating use of
decision-supporting and operational data throughout your
utility operations setup – regardless of configuration, country
or commitments. And your communication frameworks will
have to support this.

The contents of this publication are for general information and illustrative purposes only and are used at the reader’s own risk.
Cobham SATCOM uses all reasonable endeavors to ensure the accuracy of the information. However, Cobham SATCOM does not
guarantee or warrant the accuracy, completeness, factual correctness, or reliability of any information in this publication and does
not accept liability for errors, omissions, inaccuracies, or typographical errors. The views and opinions expressed in this publication
are not necessarily those of Cobham SATCOM. © 2021 Cobham SATCOM. All rights reserved.

Without limiting rights under copyright, no part of this document may be reproduced, stored in, or introduced into a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form, by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), or for any
purpose without the express written permission of Cobham SATCOM. Cobham SATCOM, the Cobham logo, are either registered
trademarks or trademarks of Cobham SATCOM in Denmark and/or other countries.

26
 UNPREDICTABILITY IS THE NEW NORMAL / CHAPTER 8

8
TAKE A STEP BACK

If you’re involved in considering your utility company’s communication setups

for the future, our experience is that it’s best to take a step back and take a
good, hard look at the proverbial “bigger picture”.

Yes, technical specs, system resilience and robust designs are important.
But the real driver for such communication capabilities is that they provide
your organization and your field operatives with the basis for making and
implementing operations-critical – sometimes even survival-critical – decisions.

These are the kinds of decisions that must NOT get affected by unreliable
equipment, patchy coverage, unforeseen events and unthinkable circumstances.

In the aftermath-to-date of the Covid-19 pandemic, it seems increasingly likely

that disruptive events, unpredictable futures and unforeseen crises are set to
become the “new normal” that we all have to deal with in our own personal,
geographically determined or industry-specific ways.

You and your utility operation need effective, reliable and resilient communication
capabilities to help deal with all this.

Managing crises is the new normal

27
 Photos: Shutterstock and unsplash: Hanson, Alain, Casey Horner, Natalya-letunova

For further information please contact:

Cobham SATCOM Land
Lundtoftegaardsvej 93 D
DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
Tel: +45 3955 8800
SATCOM.EXPLORER@cobham.com