What’s in the Instant Network Mini backpack?
The Vodafone Foundation's Instant Network team have travelled to Kathmandu Valley in Nepal to help restore communications to some of the areas worst affected by last weekend’s earthquake. In addition to being the latest deployment of the Instant Network, it would be the first use of the Instant Network Mini, a mobile network in a backpack.
The Instant Network has been used to assist relief efforts after natural disasters in the Philippines (Typhoon Haiyan and Typhoon Bopha) and in Kenya (severe drought). Over 1.04 million calls have been made and 1.98 million texts sent using the Instant Network during those deployments.
The Instant Network Mini is an 11kg mobile network in a backpack which can be set up in just 10 minutes, providing ideal communications support in an emergency:
- 200 milliwatts output powers a single transceiver (a similar set up to a home base station or picocell) that can enable thousands of handsets within a 100 metre radius to be registered to send and receive calls and texts. It is also possible to use the system to restore M-Commerce systems after a disaster and process short message (SMS and USSD) transactions.
- Supports extended GSM 900 and DCS 1800 frequencies, the most common spectrum bands used by mobile operators in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East.
- Has six hours of battery life and can be charged using the in-built 62 watt solar panel or 12v universal car charging socket.
- 12v DC power socket can charge up to three mobile phones.
Instant Network Mini: The Facts
200 milliwatts output powers a single transceiver (a similar set up to a home base station or picocell) that can enable thousands of handsets within a 100 metre radius to be registered to send and receive calls and texts.
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The Instant Network Mini has six hours of battery life and can be charged using the in-built 62 watt solar panel or 12v universal car charging socket.
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