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Katrina first responders deploy satellite VoIP services from Proactive Communications
Baton Rouge, La. September 15th, 2005—Proactive Communications Inc. announced today that it is providing Hurricane Katrina first responders with telephone and data service over ground based satellite systems. “High quality communications are a must have in a disaster relief effort,” noted Hector Salazar, CEO of Proactive Communications. “And just when those affected need telephone and data lines most, they're down or destroyed.” Proactive is a government contractor out of Texas with experience deploying portable satellite-based data and telephone networks to remote, harsh regions of the world. For the past several years Proactive has been kept busy in Iraq and Afghanistan working for military and rebuilding contractors. “Conditions in Mississippi and Louisiana present many of the same communication challenges as those in the Middle East: lack of power, buildings and transmission lines.”
“Turning on new phone service makes a big impact because you're no longer cut off from the rest of the world,” pointed out a Proactive field engineer. “Contractors and aid workers can do their jobs and residents can get in contact with family,” he continued. “We always use
PingTone (VoIP phone service) over our satellites because it works so well no matter where we take it.” In fact using the new voice over Internet protocol or VoIP telephone standard together with phones from Cisco Systems, contractors, aid workers and affected residents quickly discover just how well this new technology works. “The
PingTone voice quality and features always impress people who use it for the first time. In these circumstances any phone service would be good but having one that's really good helps that much more.”
Proactive personnel are able to setup portable satellite terminals just about anywhere local, state or federal first responders need them to: tents, a warehouse or even the back of a truck. These “data networks in a box” give workers and residents immediate phone service, email and Web access. Previous major hurricane recovery efforts, such as Hurricane Andrew, did not have this new technology available and early recovery efforts were slower as a result. “We're able to help a lot of people in a very short amount of time,” said Salazar, “and we think that makes a pretty big difference.”
About Proactive Communications
Proactive provides commercial satellite ground station support and LAN/WAN network consulting services to information technology companies and the United States Army. In 2002 the company was awarded a GSA IT Schedule task order to support the Central Technical Support Facility (CTSF) and the Program Executive Office Command, Control, and Communications - Tactical (PEO C3T) Special Projects Office. Under this contract Proactive has supported the 101st Airborne, 4th Infantry Division, 3rd Armor Cavalry Regiment and 1st Marine Expeditionary Force. The company had personnel forward deployed in Operation Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom and continues to support customers in remote, harsh regions of the world most recently in Operation Iraqi Reconstruction and Hurricane Katrina Recovery. For more information please visit http://www.proactivecommo.com
About PingTone
PingTone Communications provides advanced IP telephone services to business customers and government agencies based on Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technologies. PingTone allows organizations to add portability and remote worker integration to their business communications together with new applications such as unified messaging, connecting branch offices over data networks and advanced call routing. The company is headquartered in Northern Virginia. For more information or to contact a PingTone authorized dealer nearest you, please visit http://www.pingtone.com
For press inquiries please contact:
Marc LeGare
Proactive Communications
(254) 699-0067
Robert Marin
PingTone Communications
(703) 621-6575
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