Across the province, many of our crews often find themselves traveling to remote work sites and along transmission lines in very geographically challenging areas.

Because of the nature and location of this work, cell service is poor, or absent, in many of our operational areas, making it difficult for our crews to communicate with each other, and with team members in our more centralized offices.

In 2024, members of our PCC’s Communications Engineering team and our Operational Technology team were tasked with finding a custom solution, flexible enough to ensure our crews can stay in touch and securely access corporate systems, no matter where they travel.

A solution, two-fold

The team quickly decided that the most obvious solution was satellite communications, and Starlink was selected due to its proven performance in our areas.

As they worked through this solution, and received feedback from our crews, the team found that different operational groups had different communications needs and so they developed two solutions – a mobile solution (for installation in vehicles) and a portable solution (carried in a hardened case, the size of a carry-on bag).

The portable solution – a Portable Comms Case (PCC) – houses a Starlink antenna and router, two battery packs, and a controller for managing power. The team also ensured the case is able to be powered by a 12V vehicle socket – the same as those used in tools carried by our field staff, meaning they are always readily available. All these components are secured inside the specialized case designed by Dwight Howell, Communications Engineer. Dwight spearheaded the design, and developed the power management controller, with support and insight from other team members as they configured and refined the secure connection to provide optimal user experience.

Better connection means safer work

To date, approximately 40 vehicles have been kitted with the mobile solution, and 10 portable kits have been deployed to teams across our system, with more planned. For now, we are concentrating on getting these solutions to our teams who spend most of their time in remote areas – such as our Line Crews across the province and our maintenance crews based in Labrador. This is a game changer that will continue to enable greater efficiency and safety for our teams.

This flexible solution offers voice communication capabilities and internet connectivity – enabling greater efficiency and safer operations for our teams. As a result of their innovative and passionate work, crews traveling off the beaten path can stay connected, wherever they go.