How will we find a solution to GSM Base Stations?
Mobile phones, which are now a part of our lives, unfortunately could not establish a connection for a long time and perhaps that is why thousands of our lives were lost under the rubble. Yes, the cell towers were disabled along with the collapsed buildings on which they were placed, and even if the buildings were still standing, the electricity was cut off and the ones that remained intact did not work.
As we all know, another dimension of the earthquake disaster was the communication network that was cut off from the first moment.
Mobile phones, which are now a part of our lives, unfortunately could not establish a connection for a long time and perhaps that is why thousands of our lives were lost under the rubble.
Yes, the cell towers were disabled along with the collapsed buildings on which they were placed, and even if the buildings were still standing, the electricity was cut off and the ones that remained intact did not work.
As I said, our age is the age of communication and if we look at the results of the earthquake from this point of view, we can say that these companies, which we have paid a lot of money for all these years, have failed in this sense.
I know, maybe the experts have already started to think about what measures can be taken in this regard.
Since the shock that the country has experienced has not yet passed, this issue is not on the agenda much.
Only Mr. Imamoğlu has a statement that we will no longer allow base stations to be placed in buildings that are not certified to be earthquake resistant.
However, I do not think that the problem can be solved only with this measure.
I don't remember any discussion program on this issue on the screens. Maybe it has been done, but I can't say that it has come to the agenda at the level I desire.
I think this issue should be examined in a more comprehensive way.
Perhaps a nationwide conference should be organized on this issue and the opinions of experts should be taken.
However, as I said, this is a very serious issue. Because if he had been able to communicate with the phone in his hand, perhaps someone who was still alive could have been reached directly with a point operation.
When I say this, I am not talking about the buildings, which should already be strong, as they are not the subject of this article for now.
GSM companies have an account to give for what happened in this earthquake. I will not go into this issue here
In this article, let me talk about a few precautions and solutions that come to my mind on what can be done in this regard:
1) First of all, we have realized that base stations should be located on solid structures.
Perhaps special steel towers should be considered for base stations, which are not surrounded by structures that will be affected by earthquakes.
2) Secondly, we have also realized that the fact that these stations are fed only from the city network is a big problem.
This means that somehow, backup energy sources that can be activated when the grid power is cut for a certain period of time should be considered.
I don't know whether this would be a generator, a UPS-style battery powered system, or some other solution like solar energy etc. But I think there should be a solution to the issue of not cutting off the energy.
3) When I was little, I loved flying kites.
Maybe we should think of flying systems that are communicated with a certain cable from the ground.
Nowadays, drones have been used in many different fields. I think flying base stations at a certain height can be considered.
4) In the same way, base stations to be installed on flying balloon systems may also be a solution.
These balloons could also be connected to the ground with a cable, as in the drone example.
Of course, since weather conditions are also very important in this regard, it may not be easy to ensure the stability of balloons like drones in all weather conditions.
Nevertheless, I think this option can also be useful for places with favorable weather conditions.
5) Satellite phone systems are a bit more technological. Perhaps because they are not yet in high enough demand, their prices are quite high compared to cell phones.
However, the transformation of the entire telephone communication system from base stations to satellite phones may be a solution.
However, as I said, these systems are quite expensive and since there are not many countries in the world with high earthquake hazards like us, the general technological production is based on the mobile phones we currently use.
I think it will not be a very easy thing to switch to satellite telephony only for our country.
I just wanted to write here as an option.
6) In seaside cities, base stations can be installed on floating pontoons at a certain distance from the coast. Although sea waves or weather conditions are quite challenging, suitable solutions can be developed if desired.
It seems to me that energy and communication connections can also be handled through cables to be laid on the seabed.
7) In the same way, maybe this can be applied in places with lakes or reservoirs nearby.
In other words, similar systems can be established not only in seaside cities but also in lakeside cities.
When you think about it, there are many solutions. If even I can write down so many options when I think about it, I think experts can come up with many more options.
The sad thing is that we think about these issues only when such a catastrophe befalls us.
So let me conclude by saying that governing a country is not a child's job, but I also feel that I am being unfair to children when I say this.
Our children are our future. We need to value their ideas too. While raising them, we should give importance to their ideas.
Love and respect to everyone from Moscow.
