Author Archives: markhawkins
Delivering affordable wind power for the “Global South”
Welcome to the November issue of The Tuesday Technical. In this edition, I am exploring an exciting wind turbine technology designed by the University of Oxford in the UK. The standard “go-to” solution for renewable energy in the Global South … Continue reading
Posted in Climate Change, Energy
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StarLink update – Power and Packages
Last time, I introduced the new StarLink Mini. Since it’s introduction, there is a great deal of chatter on social media about how to power this new terminal using 12V DC. On the StarLink website, the technical specifications state that … Continue reading
Posted in Infrastructure, Satellite Communication
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Kit test – The new StarLink Mini
The Satellite telecoms industry is beginning to get very interesting. In previous articles, I have reported on innovation in the pipeline including direct access to satellite via mobile phone. Currently, SpaceX is filling the skies with new satellites. So far … Continue reading
Posted in connectivity, Infrastructure
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Using GPS tracking to keep people safe
There is a huge market for products which can be used to track people and vehicles. In commerce, tracking systems have been well established for many years. Delivery companies use tracking technology to help keep customers updated on when they … Continue reading
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How fragile is the internet in Africa?
In the past few months, internet and international telephone services were significantly disrupted across many African nations due to sub-sea cable damage. In any typical year, around 100 incidents are reported globally, and normally affect one cable at a time. … Continue reading
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GPS Jamming & a solar lantern review
In this month’s article, I am covering two topics. First, GPS jamming which has become a significant challenge in some parts of the world to aid organisations and beyond. The impact can be significant on navigation systems and telecoms. Over … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
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How to connect communities
Last month, I raised my concerns about how the Humanitarian Sector are pressing ahead with digital solutions but not considering the connectivity infrastructure needed to facilitate it. In this article, I will shine a light on how to build reliable … Continue reading
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We need to talk about connectivity for digital programming!
Across the Aid Sector (UN and NGOs) there is amazing progress made in the digital programming space (also known as ICT4D and T4D). Digital applications have a positive impact on communities through various services such as mobile money and cash … Continue reading
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Direct to satellite to mobile telecoms
A few years ago, I wrote an article about new project from AST Space Mobile which uses satellites to provide services to standard mobile telephones. Since then, a lot of progress has been made, but whilst satellite-based connectivity for standard … Continue reading
Disrupting the Sat-coms Sector
Over the past few weeks, we have seen two major announcements about how we may be able to access satellite communications with a standard mobile telephone. Currently, the four main operators providing satellite telephone services are Inmarsat, Iridium, Thuraya and … Continue reading
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