Homefront Comms

Written by Karen E. Thuermer

MIT 2009 Volume: 13 Issue: 11 (December)

 

Faced with extended tours of duty, U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan have increasingly become stressed over the fact that they are not able to speak with members of their families for months at a time without spending a lot of money.

In one publicized instance, a soldier faced a $7,000 phone bill and could not negotiate the fee with his telephone company. This was impetus enough for John Harlow to establish the Freedom Calls Foundation in 2004 to enable warfighters to stay in touch with home electronically.

Now president of the non-profit organization, Harlow explained that given the absence of an Internet infrastructure in Iraq, maintaining the satellite link that makes telephone calls from Iraq possible costs tens of thousands of dollars per month. To date, however, his organization has not been able to interest the government or a private company in sponsoring the needed satellite link.

Still, Freedom Calls Foundation provides U.S. troops the ability to call home thanks to donations from individuals, as well as with the help of a number of major companies in the communication and computer fields, which supply needed equipment or funds.

Freedom Calls Foundation pays for the satellite links at various military camps. The calls are bridged over networks via a U.S. data center and transmitted through Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) media gateways that perform the conversion from time division multiplexing voice to a media streaming protocol, such as a public switched telephone network (PSTN).

While the organization started out offering only telephone calls, today the Freedom Calls Foundation has evolved to providing free videoconferencing services to servicemembers. The organization provides more than 2,000 enterprise class family videoconferences and more than 1.5 million minutes of free telephone calls every month, saving military families millions of dollars a year. The videoconferencing that is provided does not touch military networks.

Harlow emphasized that companies donate just about everything needed for Freedom Calls Foundation, except for satellite time. “The satellites are our major expense,” he stated.

By working closely with corporate contributors, individuals and the military, the foundation has been able to build a satellite network connecting five military installations in Iraq with the Untied States. Today the foundation offers telephones, videoconferencing stations, video e-mail stations, and computers with e-mail and Internet access. As a result, more than 40,000 military personnel in the five camps in Iraq are able to communicate with their families at home on a regular basis, 24 hours per day and free of charge.

“It has evolved in a way I would never have dreamed of,” Harlow said. “The genius behind our leverage is $100,000 worth of network time, services and personnel.”

The organization has 10,000 sites in the United States provided by school systems, colleges, government agencies, National Guard bureaus, corporations, hospitals and others with videoconferencing systems that open their doors as an endpoint. Experts say their contributions have had an enormous impact because these highly trained warfighters find that a significant portion of their stress comes from not being able to communicate with their families back home. “A warfighter with a happy family is a focused warfighter,” Harlow said. “They are able to maintain their relationships and not have those relationships become strained.”

Examples of the power of this organization abound. In one case where a National Guard corporal was not able to return home for the birth of his first child, he was able to watch the birth from Iraq. “Warfighters are able to see their children walk for the first time,” Harlow said. Others are able to participate in graduation ceremonies, adoption proceedings, birthdays, anniversaries, funerals, job interviews and even make proposals for marriage.

“We utilize the same equipment that is used in the corporate board room,” Harlow stated. “We have good bandwidth, high quality and a full screen—not a postage stamp with garbled video.”

COMPANY COMMITMENTS

While Freedom Calls Foundation pays for the satellite links, other companies donate equipment and funds for the effort. Polycom, for example, provides software and videoconferencing systems. Polycom offers telepresence, video and voice communication solutions and makes it possible to bring different networks into one conference call.

“Within the military environment, we have always been strong on the infrastructure side,” said Roseanne M. Cohen, Polycom federal market director. “Whether a user is dialing in from an analog phone at their desk, from an IP video endpoint in a command center, or from a legacy ISDN system, our platforms can support voice, video and data in a multipoint call over IP, VoIP, PSTN and ISDN on a single platform,” she said.

According to Cohen, Polycom’s MGC +50 ReadiConvene and MGC +100 ReadiConvene are among the most widely deployed conferencing infrastructure solutions throughout the Department of Defense, and are ideal for customers who rely heavily on ISDN and/or have special network requirements. Polycom is also enhancing its next-generation bridging platform for high-definition video and telepresence calls, the Polycom RMX 2000 and 4000. The company expects certification by the Joint Interoperability Test Command on the RMX 2000 by the end of the year, which will meet military and federal requirements.

When it comes to assisting groups like Freedom Calls Foundation, Cohen explained that the biggest application to Polycom’s technology is its family morale calls. “Freedom Calls Foundation has frequently used Polycom equipment in support of bringing families together. Working with the foundation is one way that we can volunteer and really make a difference.”

The company has participated in events such as live, interactive video calls from the Polycom facility in Atlanta, Ga., to soldiers deployed in Iraq, as well as video transmissions to the troops from college and professional basketball games. Polycom also assisted in connecting warfighters via videoconferencing with loved ones celebrating the new year in New York‘s Times Square. The event was broadcast live on MTV.

Cohen speaks particularly fondly of a “Heroes Celebration” at Voice of America Park in West Chester, Ohio, where—thanks to a Freedom Calls satellite link and Polycom’s videoconferencing technology— soldiers were able to see and talk with their families in real time. For those who were not able to meet up with their loved ones, Polycom was able to record video messages and send a link to soldiers so they could access and view them on demand from the Video Media Center. The highlight of the event was when country music singers Rodney Atkins, Brad Paisley, Taylor Swift, 38 Special and others gave their personal thanks for the soldiers.

“Before the concert, we worked with Atkins’ crew, who were savvy in their knowledge of integrating audiovisual equipment,” Cohen recalled. Atkins and Paisley even pulled out their guitars and gave an impromptu backstage performance before the concert. Atkins sang “If You’re Going Through Hell,” and Paisley sang “I’m Gonna Miss Her” while the troops sang along.

One of the comments received by Polycom, from a woman stationed in Iraq who was inspired by the backstage concert, summarized why companies like Polycom are involved in these activities, Cohen said. “I can finish out the next 10 months now,” the servicemember said. “I listen to that song [“If You’re Going through Hell” by Atkins] every morning. It’s what keeps me going. I never would have thought he would play a song just for us.”

“Later in the concert, Rodney projected the three Iraq sites up on the Jumbotron, and the soldiers waved to about 50,000 people. The crowd exploded in cheers and applause—it was heartwarming,” Cohen said.

The Voice of America concert offered particular challenges to Polycom and Freedom Calls Foundation in terms of coordinating and getting the families together, Cohen said. “But with a little help from our engineers, we were able to bring everyone together. Freedom Calls Foundation provided the network, and Polycom’s technology brought their networks to life.”

Another video technology company involved in this area is LifeSize Communications, a provider of high-definition video systems used in military and civilian installations around the world. For example, the company has enabled deployed troops to be virtually present at their children’s summer camp musical performance in Austin, Texas. LifeSize also supports Freedom Calls through the donation of video communications systems. In partnership with the organization, LifeSize enabled a soldier in Iraq to be virtually present during the birth of his first child.

SATELLITE BANDWIDTH

DRS Technologies is under contract to provide satellite bandwidth services to Freedom Calls Foundation.

Under a separate contract, the Navy Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Atlantic (SPAWAR) has relied on DRS to supply free Internet and low-cost phone service to U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. Via the SPAWAR network, housed mostly in morale, welfare and recreation (MWR) facilities, troops can browse the Internet at no cost and call back to the U.S. for 4 cents per minute.

“Troops can connect to their families and friends over an integrated network of 800-plus cafes in Afghanistan and Iraq under the SPAWAR contract,” said Gene Carter, DRS Technologies reach back program director. “Troops go online to set up an account and purchase minutes. Minutes can also be purchased for the troops by others who want to express their gratitude to them.”

The network is satellite based. “DRS is the largest satellite-based DoD Internet service provider in the world,” Carter said. DRS contracts with satellite providers for the needed bandwidth and distributes it to the cafes.

“Cafes vary in size, with a mix of computers, headphones, webcams and phones so that troops can access their e-mail, chat online and make important phone calls,” he said. “Not only is the widely accessible network good for morale, it is also cost and operationally effective, as it moves personal phone calls off the official use network onto an unofficial one.”

A unique philanthropic aspect of the SPAWAR network is the way it allows individuals and organizations to express their gratitude to the troops through its Free Call Day program, giving all the troops in both theaters an entire day of free calling to the U.S.

“This program is a big hit with the troops,” Carter said. “Not only are the calls free, but each time they place a call, they get a recorded message from the sponsor thanking them for their service to our country. It’s both a financial and an emotional boost.” The Freedom Calls Foundation is just one of several organizations involved in providing services to help troops communicate with their loved ones at home.

In 2003, the United Service Organizations (USO) initiated USO Operation Phone Home, a service that uses monetary donations from the public to purchase bulk quantities of prepaid, international phone cards that are distributed to deployed servicemembers. These are included in Operation USO Care Packages, which are shipped to USO centers overseas and to APO addresses when individual or unit requests are received.

All of the funds collected from USO Operation Phone Home go toward the purchase and distribution of the cards, which are provided through AT&T. No minimum donation is required. A donation of $5 purchases one 100-minute phone card, although actual talk times vary from country to country.

Another program that utilizes the AT&T calling cards is Army Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) and its program, “Help Our Troops Call Home.” Through this program, prepaid phone cards can be earmarked for individual servicemembers or distributed to any servicemember through the Air Force Aid Society, American Red Cross, Fisher House Foundation, Navy-Marine Corps Relief, USA and Soldier & Family Assistance Center.

Meanwhile, the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) is involved in a similar program called Operation Uplink. Initially the program, which began in 1996, provided thousands of free prepaid calling cards to deployed and hospitalized troops. But on Mother’s Day 2006, due to the growing popularity of the program and thanks to the generosity of corporate donors, the program was extended to “Free Call Days.”

At least one designated day each month, deployed servicemembers making calls to the U.S. from their local MWR center are greeted by a recording stating that their call will be free courtesy of VFW Operation Uplink. The program began working through 191 Internet cafes abroad and is now offered through more than 850 locations. To date, Free Call Days have provided more than 3 million free phone calls, equaling more than 37 million minutes in free talk time. VFW Operation Uplink works exclusively with DRS Technical Services to provide the Free Call Day program.

Last year there were eight sponsored Free Call Days. “This year we’ll see at least 15,” Carter said. “Our goal is to make every day a Free Call Day.” ♦

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