Buses owned by TEPSA, a pioneering inter-provincial bus line, were outfitted with Kymeta satellite terminals that leveraged satellite capacity from Intelsat, cellular coverage from Cubic Telecom, and a software-defined wireless WAN solution from Cradlepoint. This enabled information to be gathered and transmitted in real time across a 742 km. route through urban and rural areas of Peru. Kymeta demonstrated a similar solution featuring this unique hybrid network approach at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, February 25-28, 2019.
Using Kymeta’s hybrid satellite-cellular solution, the SmartBus is enabling uninterrupted connectivity in the country’s most rugged and isolated terrain, while gathering and transmitting essential data with unprecedented precision. This will accelerate research into new technologies to provide connectivity to remote areas, along with satellite images provided by the Peruvian Space Agency (CONIDA). The project will collect information about the state-of-the-road network between Lima and several cities at the edge of the jungle, and enable communications in rural areas, which are easily isolated in the event of a natural disaster.
The SmartBus pilot lays the foundation for a variety of industry applications for Kymeta’s ubiquitous mobile connectivity platform, including commercial agriculture, fleet management, public transportation, and critical access for first responders. Each use case requires uninterrupted connectivity and reliable access, data collection, and communication. Kymeta highlighted the hybrid network solution at Mobile World Congress using their new satellite and cellular connected vehicle, featuring a fully embedded Kymeta terminal.
Kymeta also announced the release of its whitepaper, A Hybrid Network Solution for Reliable, Wide-Coverage First Responder Communications. Accidents, disasters, and emergencies often cause physical damage to cell sites or network congestion, inhibiting first responders from access when it’s needed most. The whitepaper highlights two field trials and features the solution for resilient and protected networks, and rapidly deployed infrastructure that can make a difference in life or death.
Executive Comments
Alberto Rodríguez, Director of the World Bank for Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador and Peru, said this project is making a tangible contribution to development by connecting people in an extremely difficult geographical region of Peru. The critical insights unearthed from this trial will be used by research centers, universities and leading technology companies, helping them to identify problems and possible solutions relating to road safety, meteorology and transport logistics.
Emmanuel Sauzay, SmartBus Project Manager within Airbus Defense and Space, noted that Kymeta has strong partnerships that, collectively, have provided Airbus with a one-source connectivity solution: cellular and satellite access, a platform for integration, plus solution management. This is the complete hybrid network services offering that is needed to make this project a success.
Benjamin Posthuma, Connectivity Solutions Manager at Kymeta, added that the company's resilient cellular and satellite hybrid solution goes beyond simply providing a connection. With the help of trusted partners, the company is an end-to-end services provider with reliable mobile connectivity that also captures mission-critical data for a variety of industries. With Kymeta, users no longer need to choose between satellite and cellular — they are just connected.