For the over 5.2 million people who lost cellular service with hurricanes Helene and Milton, satellite connectivity provided a lifeline as Speedcast deployed more than 200 Starlink kits to crisis response teams in Florida and North Carolina. 

The connectivity provider accomplished this through a partnership with SpaceX, Will Mudge, executive vice president and chief technology officer at Houston-based Speedcast, tells Connectivity Business News in this episode of “The Dish” podcast. 

The economic cost of hurricanes includes loss of connectivity, Mudge says. The 2024 hurricane season cost the U.S. $500 billion in damages, according to an estimate by meteorology company AccuWeather in a report published Dec. 2. And extreme weather events have cost the global economy $2 trillion over the past decade, according to a November report by the International Chamber of Commerce. 

People rely on connectivity for applications they may not be aware of, Mudge says. He gives the example of people fueling their cars or generators after a hurricane using credit cards, whose systems rely on connectivity. 

“We, as a culture, have become more dependent on connectivity,” Mudge tells CBN, adding that connectivity firms play an increasingly critical role in disaster relief efforts. 

More so than economics, the stakes include peoples’ lives, Mudge says. 

“[Connectivity] tends to be more about enabling the life-saving mission,” he says. 

Should someone need to go to the hospital during a hurricane or other disaster and the hospital lacks connectivity, it may be unable to access medical records and insurance information, Mudge says.  

“Having that ability to connect and provide that service upfront really makes a big difference,” he says.  

Tune into this episode of “The Dish” to hear the full conversation with Speedcast’s Mudge.