Helpful Alternative Link Protocol (HALP)
Staying Connected During Emergencies
Imagine waking up confused with sirens blaring seemingly from every direction. Lights are out. You reach for your phone. You then notice that you have no service, no way of getting information, and no way to connect with the ones that you love! As your vision comes into focus you realize you are trapped.
You scream for help but no one answers. The phone vibrates violently.
A message appears that you are offline. Both WiFi and cellular connection are not connecting you to the Internet.
"Would you like to enter HALP mode?"
You slide the toggle on and within a few minutes you are getting emergency alerts telling you to shelter in place. You see an option to send an alert out to anyone around you - so you send a message with your name and approximately where you think you are and that you are trapped.
Outside you hear someone screaming your name. They just received your message and are working to get you help!
How would HALP work?
HALP seeks to reserve a small portion of carrier assigned spectrum for public use during emergencies when primary lines have failed. It works with manufacturers to set a standard for emergency communications features such as the ones described above.
HALP does not replace cellular carriers, but seeks to augment last mile communications when they have failed to create a more resilient form of communication for all, using existing technology we own today.
To learn more about the structure of cellular and mesh networks — of which HALP is based — visit our "Get Informed" dropdown. If you are interested in learning more about the HALP solution, visit our "HALP: The Solution" dropdown. To learn more about what you can do to prepare for a communications outage, and how you can advocate to make HALP a reality, visit our "Take Action" dropdown.