The Fire Hydrant Sign Co. is testing an ingenious idea: mounting Starlink antennas on their signs to provide fallback connectivity in the event of a natural disaster.
The test, which took place in Kanagawa province near Tokyo, saw the company test out the antennas on their existing fire hydrant signs as a proof of concept.
In Japan, fire hydrant signs are often owned and installed by private companies. As ad space is at a premium on the island nation, these companies have designed the signs to be dual-use, with vital information up top and a spot for an ad below.
The Starlink idea would be another revenue source for the companies and could be funded by local governments or regional companies, with the Starlink antenna installed at the top of the sign.
There are currently over 120,000 fire hydrant signs, so local precincts or regional governments may opt to partner with sign companies to enable easy, relatively inexpensive installation.
The risk of natural disaster on the island nation is a focus for many. Japan is located at the intersection of multiple tectonic plates and within the typhoon alley in the Pacific, so everything from volcanic eruptions to major earthquakes is possible. This solution could be a great idea to help with emergency response, handle increased demand during large-scale events and support the broader LTE and 5G network.
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