Mobile signal extension in deep sea — towards a safe and sustainable fisheries

Despite having one million active fishermen, India lacks a scalable boat-to-shore communication framework. Small boat operators, which form 80% of entire fishing community, are more vulnerable to the wilder nature of the ocean, due to dynamic sea current, wind speed, direction and wave heights, etc. This is also one of reason for fishermen entering accidently in other country's territory, getting caught and sometimes costing their life. This poses a serious question to fishermen and their family, whether they would return the next time they venture out in to the sea. Deep sea mobile connectivity and Information, given in advance about the sea conditions such as wind speed and wave height can help fishermen to plan their trip effectively and avoid the danger zone. This infrastructure could provide path of building "knowledge society" to fishermen deprived of real time and usable information. For realizing this, integration of the existing communication technologies like VHF transceivers, satellite communication and extension of mobile communication network is needed. A consortium of partners like Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Tata Consultancy Service and Tata Tele Services piloted a project for mobile signal extension into the sea upto 30kms. This enabled an extended network accessibility, which led to create an Early Warning System over a digital highway of 30 by 120 KM, along the coast. This paper captures the experiences and recommendations derived from this pilot.