Emergency satellite communications platform bolsters global humanitarian intervention
 

Pakistan is flooding. People are dying and being displaced. Food aid distribution is lagging.
But can they make phone calls?

An unusual question, perhaps. But a crucial one, nonetheless.

You see, the United Nations has a division -- the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) -- that is responsible for rushing into disaster zones to help resurrect vital telecom infrastructure that has been destroyed. Why is that important?

We're not talking about allowing people to engage in idle gossip at steep monthly rates.

We're talking about cellphone towers losing electricity or falling into crevices, about shifting tectonic plates rupturing fixed-line phone service, about rooftop antennas in crowded urban areas collapsing into rubble, about flood waters shutting down power generators to various parts of a mobile network.

Without any of this, government agencies can't distribute all the aid your donations have provided, can't co-ordinate with humanitarian agencies to figure out where the need for medical services is the greatest and can't, in short, respond to the crisis properly.

For citizens, it's even more frightening. During the Haiti earthquake, as with many disasters, family members didn't know whether their loved ones were alive. People were texting SOS messages from beneath the rubble -- and having their text messages join a long queue created by the strained wireless networks (a data backlog situation that also happened, if you recall, when Sidney Crosby scored his momentous goal for Team Canada). That's why there's other groups, as well, such as Télécoms Sans Frontières.

For more in this article please go to: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/technology/globe-on-technology/food-shelter-phone-service/article1684892/

UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations has teamed up with two leading global satellite companies in a bid to strengthen emergency communications before impending natural disasters strike and to save more lives by better coordinating relief efforts in their aftermath, the UN telecommunications agency announced on Thursday.

    Inmarsat and Vizada have agreed to donate 70 state-of-the-art and highly portable satellite devices -- capable of delivering voice and broadband data wherever disasters take place -- to the International Telecommunications Union (ITU).

    ITU will receive preferential airtime rates and technical training support as part of the agreement, the UN agency said. When everything else fails, satellite communications provides a critical link for humanitarian agencies and victims.

For more information, go to: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-10/09/content_12196498.htm 

Geneva, 22 May 2008 

The International Telecommunication Union has deployed 100 satellite terminals to help restore vital communication links in the aftermath of the severe earthquake that struck central China on 12 May 2008. The 8.0-magnitude quake in Sichuan province of China killed more than 40 000 people and injured hundreds of thousands, with many still missing ten days after the tragedy. The quake, which destroyed infrastructure and telecommunications lines, disrupted electricity and transport, brought down buildings and rendered nearly 5 million people homeless, is the country's worst natural disaster in three decades.

With the restoration of communication links, designated government officials and other humanitarian agencies are now able to more efficiently coordinate relief operations. The mobile satellite terminals are easily transported by road and air to be used both by humanitarian workers and the victims of this disaster.

For more information go to TMCnet at  http://asia.tmcnet.com/news/2008/05/22/3460835.htm

Source: Reliefweb

Date: 22 May 2008

Emergency health kits capable of providing assistance to 30,000 people for up to one month have been rushed into the quake-affected areas of Sichuan province in China by the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO).

One hundred satellite terminals have been deployed to provide accurate coordination of relief and rescue operations by the UN International Telecommunication Union (ITU), as UN aid agencies continue their humanitarian efforts.

State media report that over 41,000 people lost their lives as a result of the massive temblor on 12 May, which measured 7.8 on the Richter scale. Some 32,000 people are missing, while more than 250,000 others have sustained injuries. Roughly 5 million people have been left homeless.

ITU said the 100 mobile satellite terminals they are supplying are easily transported by road and air and can be used by both humanitarian workers and quake victims.

‘I would like to assure the Government that ITU is ready to provide expertise in carrying out telecommunication network damage assessments aimed at paving the way for the rehabilitation of the damaged telecommunications structure,’ said Sami Al Basheer Al Morshid, Director of ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau.

The hand-held Thuraya satellite phones use both satellite and GSM networks and can provide accurate GPS coordinates to support relief and rescue efforts.

For more information, go to Reliefweb at http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/EGUA-7EVNSV?OpenDocument

Secretary-General addresses Space Business Round Table in Washington D.C.

As the leading United Nations agency for information and communication technology (ICT) issues and the global focal point for developing networks and services, the International Telecommunication Union plays a key role in managing radio-frequency spectrum and satellite orbits. ITU is the international forum where the rights and obligations of Member Administrations in obtaining access to the spectrum and orbit resources are agreed. ITU also carries out vital work recording frequency assignments and orbital positions in the Master International Frequency Register and processing satellite filings to ensure that orbital positions and frequencies are compatible and interference-free.

The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) agreed with ICO Global Communications and the Commonwealth Business Council (CBC) to use satellite communications for improved global response in the face of natural disasters.

ICO will provide airtime on its F2 satellite for disaster prevention and effective response in the aftermath of natural disasters through both voice communications and other telecommunication applications, including telemedicine. An hour's airtime will be provided every day for use through ITU to help countries maintain preparedness, provide early-warning information, and elicit quick response. In the event of a disaster, this time will be adjusted according to the demand to facilitate rescue-and-rehabilitation efforts.

"The partnership that we have established is an important milestone towards ITU's effort to save human life," said Dr. Hamadoun Touré, secretary-general of ITU. "Satellite communication provides a platform to deliver a wide range of services and applications even to remote areas. In the digital age, we are able to provide an information communications technology (ICT) lifeline to disaster victims and humanitarian personnel entrusted with coordinating rescue and relief operations, especially when terrestrial communications infrastructure is disrupted, overloaded, or destroyed."

ITU will manage and coordinate emergency telecommunications; CBC will provide content and manage the entrepreneurial skill development program.

For more information go to Radio Resource Media Group at http://www.radioresourcemag.com/news.cfm

GENEVA, Jun 20, 2007 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- ICO Global Communications (Holdings) Limited (ICO) (NASDAQ:ICOG) today announced that ICO, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), a specialized agency of the United Nations, and the Commonwealth Business Council (CBC), an organization which serves to foster cooperation between business and governments, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The MOU's objectives are to establish collaborative linkages between the Parties in the area of Emergency Telecommunication Systems and Global Information Systems, and more particularly, for ICO to provide state and non-state organizations free access to ICO's F2 orbiting MEO satellite for non-commercial purposes.

ITU Secretary General Hamadoun Toure commented, "The partnership that we have established with ICO Global Communications and the Commonwealth Business Council is an important milestone towards ITU's effort to save human life. Satellite communication provides a platform to deliver a wide range of services and applications even to remote areas. In the digital age, we are able to provide an ICT lifeline to disaster victims and humanitarian personnel entrusted with coordinating rescue and relief operations, especially when terrestrial communications infrastructure is disrupted, overloaded or destroyed. We thank ICO for being a reliable partner from the satellite industry and for contributing innovative technologies."

"ICO strongly supports the goals of the ITU and the CBC, and we are pleased to be able to contribute ICO's satellite services to these efforts," added J. Timothy Bryan, ICO's CEO. "ICO's development and implementation of S band technology globally, including our announced vendor initiatives for ICO North America and the ICO P MEO system, will serve our interests well as we continue to work with key suppliers to create advanced user terminals to access F2 for humanitarian and emergency uses."

"CBC is pleased to work with the ITU and ICO to contribute towards development and disaster preparedness. What is required for the future is increased economic empowerment of wider segments of society, to lift people out of poverty and give them new opportunity. This can be achieved by bringing technology and innovation to the service of many. We need to pursue the 'democratisation of knowledge', by making technology more widely and freely accessible. By means of tele-education and entrepreneurial development programmes CBC will equip and prepare global citizens for economic empowerment and disaster management," said Dr Mohan Kaul, Director General, Commonwealth Business Council.

For more information go to ICO at http://investor.ico.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=250140

Voice and data service will help co-ordinate response to major global incidents

ITU forges partnership with ICO Global Communications and Commonwealth Business Council

Geneva, 20 June 2007 — ITU reached agreement today with ICO Global Communications and the Commonwealth Business Council to utilize satellite communications for improved global response in the face of natural disasters.

Natural calamities have spread mayhem around the world, severely impacting the lives of people and the environment. The recent spate of tsunamis, earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanic eruptions, floods, landslides and forest fires have left behind a legacy of lost and broken lives, economic upheaval and sheer devastation, imposing long-lasting impediments to sustainable development and global efforts for poverty reduction. The poor, especially those living in remote and isolated areas, are the most vulnerable and disaster-prone.

In 2006 alone, 21'800 people succumbed to natural disasters, with 95 per cent of those killed residing in least developed countries. USD 65 billion of economic loss was recorded worldwide.

For more information see Reliefweb at http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/DHRV-74D3AH?OpenDocument

The United Nations International Telecommunications Union (<"http://www.itu.int/newsroom/press_releases/2007/15.html">ITU) today joined forces with a communications firm and a business organisation to employ satellites to bolster the global response to natural disasters.

The poor - especially those living in remote and isolated areas - are most vulnerable to calamities, which wreak havoc and impede sustainable development and poverty reduction efforts.

"Satellite communication provides a platform to deliver a wide range of services and applications even to remote areas," said Hamadoun TourôUITU's Secretary-General.

Last year alone, nearly 22,000 people lost their lives due to natural disasters, with 95 per cent of the deaths occurring in the least developed countries.

"In the digital age, we are able to provide an [information and communications technology] lifeline to disaster victims and humanitarian personnel entrusted with coordinating rescue and relief operations, especially when terrestrial communications infrastructure is disrupted, overloaded or destroyed," Dr. Toure said.

For more information, go to  News Blaze at http://newsblaze.com/story/20070621152328tsop.nb/newsblaze/TOPSTORY/Top-Stories.html

GENEVA , June 22, 2007 - Satnews Daily - The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has reached an agreement with ICO Global Communications and the Commonwealth Business Council (CBC) to utilize satellite communications for improved global response in the face of natural disasters.

Natural calamities have spread mayhem around the world, severely impacting the lives of people and the environment. In 2006 alone, 21,800 people succumbed to natural disasters, with 95 per cent of those killed residing in least developed countries. These calamities inflicted economic damage estimated at $65 billion worldwide.

ICO Global Communications will provide airtime on their F2 satellite for disaster prevention and effective response in the aftermath of natural disasters through both voice communications and other telecommunication applications, including telemedicine. An hour’s airtime will be provided every day for use through ITU to help countries maintain preparedness, provide early-warning information and elicit quick response. In the event of a disaster, this time will be adjusted according to demand to facilitate rescue and rehabilitation efforts.

"The partnership that we have established with ICO Global Communications and the Commonwealth Business Council is an important milestone towards ITU’s effort to save human life," said Dr Hamadoun Touré, Secretary-general of ITU. "Satellite communication provides a platform to deliver a wide range of services and applications even to remote areas. In the digital age, we are able to provide an ICT lifeline to disaster victims and humanitarian personnel entrusted with coordinating rescue and relief operations, especially when terrestrial communications infrastructure is disrupted, overloaded or destroyed."

While ITU will manage and coordinate emergency telecommunications, CBC will provide content and manage the entrepreneurial skill development program.

 For more information, go to SatNews.com at     http://www.satnews.com/stories2007/4658/

By NNN-UNNS

Geneva, Jun 21 (Prensa Latina) The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) is forging agreements to use satellite communications for improved global response in the face of natural disasters.

Natural calamities have spread mayhem around the world, severely impacting the lives of people and the environment.

The recent spate of tsunamis, earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanic eruptions, floods, landslides and forest fires have left behind a legacy of lost and broken lives, economic upheaval and sheer devastation.

This, says a ITU press release, leads to long-lasting impediments to sustainable development and global efforts for poverty reduction. The poor, especially those living in remote and isolated areas, are the most vulnerable and disaster-prone.

In 2006 alone, 21.8 million people succumbed to natural disasters, with 95 per cent of those killed residing in least developed countries.

Economic losses for USD 65 billion were recorded worldwide.

One of ITU s agreements provides for ICO Global Communications to give airtime on their F2 satellite for disaster prevention and effective response in the aftermath of natural disasters through both voice communications and other telecommunication applications, including telemedicine.

An hour's airtime will be provided every day for use through ITU to help countries maintain preparedness, provide early-warning information and elicit quick response.

In the event of a disaster, this time will be adjusted according to demand to facilitate rescue and rehabilitation efforts.

Dr Hamadoun Touré, Secretary-general of ITU says "Satellite communication provides a platform to deliver a wide range of services and applications even to remote areas. In the digital age, we are able to provide an ICT lifeline to disaster victims and humanitarian personnel entrusted with coordinating rescue and relief operations, especially when terrestrial communications infrastructure is disrupted, overloaded or destroyed."

While ITU will manage and coordinate emergency telecommunications, the Commonwealth Business Council (CBC) will provide content and manage the entrepreneurial skill development programme.

For more information, go to Prensa Latina at http://www.plenglish.com/article.asp?ID=%7B64D32E0C-77D7-4522-96D0-9AB08B19A717%7D)&language=EN

Stepping up its efforts for disaster mitigation and relief, the United Nations today announced an agreement with the Thuraya Satellite Telecommunications Company to provide portable satellite terminals, a major factor in rescue operations.

“The tsunami that wreaked havoc in south East Asia, the Kashmir earthquake, the Suriname floods, and the Indonesia earthquake have demonstrated the power of emergency telecommunications in saving lives and coordinating efforts during rescue operations such as the setting up of telemedicine links,” said Yoshio Utsumi, Secretary-General the UN International Telecommunication Union (ITU), which concluded the accord.

Thuraya, the United Arab Emirates satellite-based company, is contributing handheld satellite terminals along with solar chargers, while ITU will pay for airtime at discounted rates offered by Thuraya and cover transportation costs of telecommunications equipment to and from disaster-hit areas. ITU will also provide its expertise in technical and operational training for government officials involved in rescue missions.

In the light of a spate of recent natural disasters, the World Telecommunication Development Conference meeting in Doha in March called upon ITU to develop solutions in emergency telecommunications directed at improving early-warning communication, disaster preparedness and mitigation.

More information on Noticias Info, Spain at http://www.noticias.info/asp/aspComunicados.asp?nid=200035&src=0

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and Thuraya Satellite Telecommunications Company yesterday announced an agreement to provide portable satellite terminals to assist countries in disaster mitigation and relief. The agreement comes in response to a call to the ITU during the World Telecommunications Development Conference (WTDC) held in Doha in March, to develop such an emergency telecommunications systems.

In the light of a spate of natural disasters and calamities in recent times, the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC-06) meeting in Doha in March 2006 called upon ITU to develop ICT-based solutions in emergency telecommunications directed at improving early-warning communication, disaster preparedness and mitigation.

This is a critical area of concern especially for countries with fragile economies and special needs, such as least developed countries and small island developing states.

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and UAE based Thuraya Satellite Telecommunications (Thuraya) have concluded an agreement to provide portable satellite terminals to assist countries in disaster mitigation and relief.

Under the agreement, Thuraya would be providing handheld satellite terminals along with solar chargers, and ITU will pay for airtime at discounted rates offered by Thuraya and cover the transportation costs of telecommunications equipment to and from disaster-hit areas. ITU will also provide its know-how in technical and operational training for government officials involved in rescue missions.

In the light of a spate of natural disasters and calamities in recent times, the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC-06) meeting in March 2006 called upon ITU to develop ICT-based solutions in emergency telecommunications aimed at improving early-warning communication, disaster preparedness and mitigation.

The Thuraya terminals, which support voice and data applications and remote location based services via GPS, are expected to help provide vital link via satellite during such times. When regular cellular networks are available, the GSM-enabled Thuraya handsets can automatically switch to the terrestrial network for greater affordability, ITU informed.

More information on Digital Media Asia, Mumbai at http://www.digitalmediaasia.com/default.asp?ArticleID=16625

The International Telecommunication Union and Thuraya Satellite Telecommunications Company have concluded an agreement to provide portable satellite terminals to assist countries in disaster mitigation and relief.

Thuraya, the United Arab Emirates satellite-based company, is contributing handheld satellite terminals along with solar chargers; ITU will pay for airtime at discounted rates offered by Thuraya and cover the transportation costs of telecommunications equipment to and from disaster-hit areas. ITU will also provide its expertise in technical and operational training for government officials involved in rescue missions.

In the light of a spate of natural disasters and calamities in recent times, the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC-06) meeting in Doha in March 2006 called upon ITU to develop ICT-based solutions in emergency telecommunications directed at improving early-warning communication, disaster preparedness and mitigation. This is a critical area of concern especially for countries with fragile economies and special needs, such as least developed countries and small island developing states.

More information on Relief Web, Switzerland at http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/KHII-6RL3EN?OpenDocument

The International Telecommunication Union and United Arab Emirates' Thuraya Satellite will cooperate to provide portable satellites for disaster relief.

Thuraya Satellite Telecommunications will be providing handheld satellite terminals as well as solar charges to help countries overcome disasters. ITU, meanwhile, will pay for airtime at discounted rates offered by Thuraya in addition to covering the transport costs of the equipment to and from disaster areas.

"The tsunami that wreaked havoc in south East Asia, the Kashmir earthquake, the Suriname floods, and the Indonesia earthquake have demonstrated the power of emergency telecommunications in saving lives and coordinating efforts during rescue operations such as the setting up of telemedicine links," said the ITU's chief, Yoshio Utsumi.

More information on United Press International, USA at http://www.upi.com/Hi-Tech/view.php?StoryID=20060710-010552-9299r