What If Russia Destroys Ukraine’s Cell Networks?

An article from Bloomberg asks 'What If Russia Destroys Ukraine’s Cell Networks'?

Peer-to-peer systems would allow civilians and soldiers to stay in contact if conventional phone networks stop working.

"Today’s cellphone infrastructure is built on a hub-and-spoke model where a system of towers and servers acts as the go-between. Destroying a single tower can bring down the entire network, cutting off large swaths of users. That vulnerability has spurred a move toward decentralized communications, where cellphones or other devices connect without relying on a primary hub. Called mesh networks, these systems are already popping up in parts of Ukraine, and have the potential to become the foundation for both military and civilian communications while the country is under Russian assault.

Domo Tactical Communications, or DTC, a unit of Australia’s Codan Ltd. and rival goTenna Inc. are among the companies that sell equipment that can form ad-hoc networks of handsets that eschew a centralized server. If one device in the group is put out of action, the rest can continue communicating. The approach also allows for a large area of coverage using lower-power devices. Advantages include longer battery life and greater stealth against attackers locking in on signals to hunt their enemy.

Standard smartphones with Bluetooth and an app are another feasible alternative. One of the first to take this approach was FireChat [Discontinued], an Android and iOS app developed by Open Garden a decade ago to help crowds at the Burning Man festival send messages directly when cellphone networks couldn’t cope with the heavy, highly concentrated traffic. Within a few years, it shot to fame as a tool for pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong to share information without being intercepted or blocked by the government. Bridgefy, a similar phone-based app, has become popular with Ukrainians in need of an alternative to centralized cellphone networks.

“We wanted a messaging app that could work without the internet,” Bridgefy founder Jorge Rios told me recently. “We built it for natural disasters and big events where phone networks don’t work.” More than 700,000 people in Ukraine downloaded the Bridgefy app between Feb. 24 and March 3, Rios said. By utilizing a smartphone’s Bluetooth connection, Bridgefy not only can send a message directly to another handset but also can extend the communication range by relaying messages from device to device on a path to the intended recipient. The company plans to introduce WiFi functionality soon so that people can communicate over longer distances and utilize the Signal encryption protocol for improved security."

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Gecko & Fly discussed off-network messaging apps. Of the apps listed only Bridgefy works on both Google Android and Apple iOS; an important consideration for communication within large groups that don't have a standardized cell-phone or operating system. Cascadia Survivalist uses Bridgefy.

    Bridgefy https://bridgefy.me/ works in three different ways:

    1- Person to person mode — where you have to turn on Bluetooth and chat privately with friends that are within 330 feet (100 meters) of you.

    2 - Mesh mode — where chat without internet with people more than 330 feet from you by connecting through other Bridgefy users found in the middle. For example: person 1 can talk to person 3 if person 2 is in the middle, making the possible distance 660 feet (200 meters). The same goes for an unlimited number of people in the chain.

    3 - Broadcast mode — Go into the Broadcast section and send messages to every Bridgefy user around you at the same time, even if you don’t have them on your contacts list.
 

These off-network messaging systems use Bluetooth and WiFi to communicate, limiting the range of a direct signal. Mesh networks can expand that range if a large number of people are connected to the mesh network. Several years (2013) ago, YouTuber "Comms Prepper" demonstrated how to set up a network using these off-network messaging apps and router to create your own local network. Cascadia Survivalist has built a network based on the Comms Prepper videos, and it works well. 

Off-grid social networks, like ManyVerse https://www.manyver.se/, are another communications option. And communications apps like Zello https://cascadiasurvivalist.blogspot.com/2022/02/zello-for-emergency-communication.html will work when the cellular network is down as long as you have access to the Internet.

Amateur (Ham) Radio operators build networks, like AREDN https://www.arednmesh.org/, that expand communications over many kilometers / miles. LoRa systems, like Meshtastic https://meshtastic.org/, allow users to construct newtorks that are independent from centralized servers. 

E-mail systems like Winlink Global Radio Email https://cascadiasurvivalist.blogspot.com/2022/02/winlink-global-radio-email.html are designed to allow individuals without access to either cellular or Internet to exchange e-mail over radio.

Cascadia Survivalist previously discussed the use of DMR SMS Simplex Messaging https://cascadiasurvivalist.blogspot.com/2022/02/dmr-sms-simplex-messaging.html.

There are several options for communicating that do not rely on the cellular networks, but those options require that you build your own network / system. Do you have a plan that will let you continue to communicate with friends, family, or the world in general if you lose access to cellular networks and the Internet? Have you tested that plan to be sure that it works?




----- References -----

Bloomberg - https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2022-03-13/mesh-networks-could-replace-ukraine-s-damaged-cell-service

Gecko & Fly - https://www.geckoandfly.com/22562/chat-without-internet-connection-mesh-network/

Comms Prepper Videos.
Part 1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=youElAJGmgM
Part 2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeER-EB6Axo