RF Over Fiber Has An Important Role In Disaster Recovery

Disasters can strike without warning, and for a broadcast or satellite earth station hit by a fire, flood, hurricane or terrorist attack for example, the resulting loss of satellite signals can have major operational and financial implications. Planning for continuity of operation using off-site backup is therefore highly recommended.

The necessary redundancy can be provided by RF over fiber links from ViaLite, which make it possible to immediately switch over all communications to another back-up location, locally or even hundreds of kilometers away. Satellite communications can therefore operate completely independently of the local infrastructure.

“A typical earth station will have redundant power supplies and other redundant equipment. But what happens if there is a major disaster at your teleport?

“Ideally you need redundancy on a completely different site,” said Gary Wade, ViaLite Product Manager.

Business continuity provided by the immediate switchover means that there is no downtime, avoiding the possibility of large follow-up costs or contract penalties that can result from unplanned shutdowns. The long distance links can also be used to uplink data and communications.

As well as satellite earth stations, RF over fiber links can provide back-up for the emergency service comms and the ability to have redundant sites outside of the city for any RF communication system.

ViaLite links are also suitable for use by hospitals, airports etc. to back up their satellite communication systems, and ensure mobile and internet communications continue to operate by having a separate link at a facility away from the disaster zone.