Satellite Phones in India

Satellite Phones in India

The news of Satellite Phone being allowed in India has been doing the rounds in the Indian climbing fraternity for decades, yet there had been no solution in sight. After various deliberations between adventure travel fraternity, Indian Mountaineering Foundation & the Ministry of telecommunications, Satellite Phones are finally being allowed. This is a huge development and we at White Magic are excited to have the device. We tested the phone on our Friendship Peak expedition in Himachal Pradesh this spring & are extremely happy with how it worked.

The phone does come with restrictions as expected, it cannot be used within the territory of Jammu & Kashmir and restricted areas of other Indian states (areas which require an inner line permit). This restriction forbids us from using the device in many regions of the Himalaya that we operate in but since most parts of Himachal Pradesh & Uttarakhand don’t come under this rule, we cannot be happier with this initial step.
 

What does this mean to the adventure community?

Emergency Handling -
A lot of serious alpinists would stay away from Indian Himalayan peaks because of the Sat Phone ban. There was no way to arrange for an emergency rescue / evacuation from remote areas as it would take atleast a day for someone from Base Camp to get down to the road-head to communicate. Earlier, our guides would always be conservative while taking decisions on the mountains, with ‘What if’ factor always on the mind.

We firmly believe in ‘prevention is better than cure’ and will always operate in a way in which we will never need a rescue but knowing we have a Sat-Phone does give us a sense of security.

Weather Forecast –
This is the most critical aspect for any alpinist in today’s world. While weather has become extremely unpredictable, forecasts have become more & more accurate. This communication tool is vital as it helps climbers and guides make informed decisions on the mountain. Having latest and accurate weather updates can increase chances of success on an expedition and can also help avert a possible emergency. Having a Sat-Phone allows us to get latest weather forecasts which is invaluable information on any climbing expedition.

Logistics Management -
Situations in the mountains are very dynamic and so is managing operations & logistics in remote places with no connectivity. A Sat-Phone is of great help, especially for companies like us.

Being in touch with people back home -
Being away from connectivity and spending time in the wilderness is a blessing nowadays, but if you spend weeks in remote regions of the Himalaya trying to climb big mountains, it is natural for someone back home to be concerned about you. Having an option to send a simple text message reassuring people back home is always welcome, isn’t it?

The entire community is pleased with this much needed development and we at White Magic hope to take full advantage of having this device. We also hope that this brings in more climbers and adventures to the Indian Himalaya which has innumerable peaks of various altitudes untouched by climbers for many decades.

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