Satellite phones usage by Kaziranga National park

In news- Kaziranga has become the first National Park in India to have been equipped with satellite phones.

Key updates

The division aims to boost anti-poaching measures.
These satellite phones will be used in pockets of the park’s six ranges with no wireless or poor mobile connectivity.
The satellite phones will give an edge to the forest personnel over the poachers and also during emergencies like floods.
The Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) procured the ten satellite phones for the National Park at an estimated cost of Rs 16 lakh.
The park authorities will bear the monthly expenses for the service provided by Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd.
The public is barred from using satellite phones in India.

What is a satellite phone?

Satellite phone or sat phone is a type of mobile phone that connects to other phones or the telephone network by radio through orbiting satellites instead of terrestrial cell sites, as cellphones do.
The advantage of a sat phone is that its use is not limited to areas covered by cell towers; it can be used in most or all geographic locations on the Earth’s surface.

Kaziranga National Park

Formed in 1908 on the recommendation of Mary Curzon, the park is located on the edge of the Eastern Himalayan biodiversity hotspot.
The national park, spread over a massive 430 sq km area and divided into six ranges in upper Assam.
In 1985, the park was declared as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
It was declared a Tiger Reserve in 2006.
Kaziranga National park is home to more than 2200 Indian one-horned rhinoceros, approximately 2/3rd of their total world population.
It is also recognized as an Important Bird Area by Birdlife International for the conservation of avifaunal species.
The park area is circumscribed by the Brahmaputra River, which forms the northern and eastern boundaries and the Mora Diphlu, which forms the southern boundary.
Other notable rivers within the park are the Diphlu and Mora Dhansiri.