When disaster strikes, the business of saving lives depends on functioning communication systems. As the London and Madrid bombings, 9/11, Hurricane Katrina or the Asian tsunamis have shown, when communications systems break down, governments, businesses and citizens are unable to respond. Emergency services are handicapped. Coordination is lost. Millions are left without information, thousands in danger.

Today, policy-makers have the opportunity to ensure Europe is better equipped to respond in times of crisis.

As the London or Madrid bombings have shown, none of Europe’s communication systems meet the four conditions needed to be disaster-proof. They are not resilient , interoperable, ubiquitous, and easy to use. Yet potential solutions exist.

Among those, Mobile Satellite Services with a Complementary Ground Component are uniquely reliable.