While AFRRCS has Alberta emergency services covered, there can still be issues if the local towers are disabled due to a disaster situation (forest fires, ice storms, etc.), or if an emergency occurs in remote locations without AFRRCS coverage.
Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite internet services are starting to serve customers in southern Alberta, beginning with SpaceX’s Starlink service. More information is found in the LEO section of this report. One service that LEOs can offer first responders is ubiquitous, unhindered internet, in any location. Already, Starlink has proved useful in the US state of Washington, where it provided communications in areas affected by forest fires123. Canada’s own satellite service provider, Telesat, is deploying LEOs, and is also offering specific services for first responders124.
References
123CNBC. Washington emergency responders use SpaceX Starlink. 29 September 2020. Accessed 11 March 2021.
124Telesat. First Responders | Telesat. Accessed 11 March 2021.