Malaysia was hit by one of the worst floods in late 2014 affecting over 200,000 people especially in the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia. When devastating flood hits, staying connected can be impossible for many as telecommunication systems go down due to damage or lack of power supply.
To be better prepared for the next monsoon season, Ogilvy & Mather has created a backup network service for Maxis that’s called the S.O.S Network. These little black boxes will reconnect people when their main network goes down.
Ogilvy & Mather – Maxis SOS Campaign from Work that works on Vimeo.
To deploy the S.O.S network, they will place these weatherproof boxes on rooftops of buildings that will create a mesh network using WiFi. They are powered by built-in batteries that can last for a week and it can be recharged using solar, generators or car batteries.
According to the video, the SOS network will work on any phone and on any carrier with no app required. Just switch on your WiFi and connect to MaxisSOS to reconnect to the outside world.
At first glance, it looks like an award submission video but if this works, it can be a lifesaving solution. The SOS Network is currently deployed at Kuala Krai covering an area of 8.4 sq km and it will be extended to other areas if needed.
MCMC has earlier released a list of tips of staying connected during floods. Those affected are advised to restrict communication to essential use and to switch to lighter forms of communication such as SMS instead of voice calls.
