Rockwell Collins announces plans to offer nationwide disaster communications system via HF radio

With the service, UrgentLink customers will be able to communicate directly with each other, or they can communicate with others outside the HF system by contacting the Rockwell Collins operations center in Annapolis, Md.

“You can talk between UrgentLink radio customers, but you can also reach the outside world,” Chapman said. “You may want to use the HF radio to send us an e-mail at the Rockwell Collins center, and we can forward it to wherever you want—or you can send us text messages or call us, and have us patch you through. The operation center can also do things like make a broadcast.”

In 2012, 911 solutions provider Intrado announced an initiative to establish a commercial HF network that would provide disaster communications, but Intrado abandoned the concept and relinquished its rights to the maritime spectrum, Chapman said. The spectrum owner turned to Rockwell Collins, which has deployed and operated HF systems for the government and the military for years, he said.

“Essentially, they needed a company with the heft and breadth of experience in HF to do this right, so they sought us out and that’s what we’ve done,” Chapman said.

Last year, Rockwell Collins purchased ARINC—a company with a strong reputation as a provider of customer-facing HF gear—which positioned it well to pursue the UrgentLink initiative, given Rockwell Collins’ expertise in operating the backend equipment and software for HF systems, Chapman said.

“ARINC has such a strong brand name in some of the markets that we’re in that we’re still using the ARINC name as part of the product that we’re offering, but it’s a Rockwell Collins company offering,” he said.