Japan’s Fire Hydrant Sign Co., Ltd. has demonstrated an expansive Wi-Fi network that melds its established infrastructure of street signs with Starlink satellite broadband antennas. The big idea is that this network could provide important, if not essential, fallback connectivity in the event of a natural disaster knocking out fiber, mobile masts, and so on. Japan sits on the intersection of multiple tectonic plates and is prone to earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions – as well as some extreme weather.
On Thursday, the Fire Hydrant Sign Co. completed a technical demonstration of a Starlink-supported Wi-Fi network in the vicinity of its Kanagawa Branch. Each sign, a common item of street furniture in residential neighborhoods, can become a dual-purpose emergency water supply sign and ‘communication hub.’ In the top image, you can see two example installations with the Starlink antenna atop a pole beside the traditional circular fire hydrant signage.
