The system comprises a buoy fitted with a GSM phone relay that handles two-way communications with an underwater terminal. The terminal is connected to the buoy by a wire, and is equipped with a keypad, a special mouthpiece, a light and a buzzer.
The companies hope to launch their system commercially by the end of 2002. It will be targeted at professionals working underwater and should hopefully help improve safety. It has already been tested by archeologists at the Alexandrine Research Center, in charge of underwater excavations at the presumed site of the Alexandria Lighthouse, in Egypt.
