Joseph Oliver is Vice President of the Riverhead Volunteer Ambulance Corps (RVAC) in Riverhead, New York, on the north shore of Long Island. He got the idea to install low Earth orbit (LEO) internet on their service vehicles after using the technology to maintain secure mobile phone service in his own truck, even while driving through dead zones.

As he explained, employing LEO connectivity on the Corps’ ambulance fleet would “eliminate those dead zones and enable RVAC members to make phone calls to doctors and access important patient data without interruption.” Not only will the service be more reliable for the crew, but it will also be substantially cheaper than their prior solution, resulting in savings of nearly $400 every month once the fleet has fully switched to LEO broadband.

LEO technology is able to keep first responders in communication with each other and the resources they depend on while responding to emergencies — even in difficult-to-reach areas or disruptive weather. Because LEO satellites orbit closer to Earth and in large constellations of smaller satellites, access is less vulnerable to disruptions and interruptions, even when users are on the move or during conditions that may cause other systems to fail.

Incorporating LEO satellite broadband more fully into communities’ everyday connectivity toolboxes will better support emergency services, reduce communication dark zones, and save lives – especially in rural and remote areas. Oliver said it best: “It’s definitely the way of the future.”