Emergency communications in Haiti strengthened through software
New ITU partnership to enable greater situation awareness, communication and coordination
between emergency personnel during rescue and relief efforts
Geneva, 16 February 2010 — ITU and Collabria LLC
have signed a Cooperation Agreement to provide a secure, interoperable software
platform for emergency communications management and ‘first responder’
activities.
The new ITU-Collabria agreement will provide emergency personnel with a
system that allows them to communicate and collaborate quickly across wired,
wireless and private networks and the Internet, combining text, voice, video,
data and large file transfer capabilities into a single application for
desktops, laptops, mobile phones and other IP-based devices.
Collabria software is designed to provide first responders with a secure and
reliable means of communicating with other first responders, such as aid
agencies and local authorities. Emergency response is greatly enhanced because
responders from multiple agencies can communicate and collaborate quickly,
securely and efficiently over a centralized platform.
In addition to providing ITU with the software to strengthen ongoing
emergency telecommunications efforts in Haiti, Collabria will also be
dispatching engineers to support ITU personnel working on the ground to restore
the country’s communications links.
"My sympathy is with the people of Haiti who are trying to re-build their
lives after this terrible tragedy. Re-establishing communication links is
an essential part of the relief effort and I am delighted that Collabria has
come forward to join us in this effort, said Sami Al Basheer Al Morshid,
Director of ITU's Telecommunication Development Bureau."
"We welcome the opportunity to support the efforts of the United Nations and
the International Telecommunication Union in the service of the people of Haiti,
and ongoing humanitarian efforts globally. We want to do our part in helping
others," affirmed Dean A. Collura, Regional Director, Collabria.
In the wake of the earthquake that devastated the capital Port-au-Prince and
other towns across the country, ITU has been proactively building partnerships
with ICT providers to deliver the kinds of communications services most urgently
needed by humanitarian aid agencies, government authorities, and the local
population.
Cosmas Zavazava, ITU Chief, Emergency Telecommunications, who is working
onsite with Haitian authorities to restore communications services, said
harmonization of communication systems for law enforcement and humanitarian
agencies in major emergencies, such as the Haiti earthquake, remains one of the
most daunting challenges, adding that Collabria’s software provides a common
platform that will greatly enhance coordination.
ITU is currently in the process of deploying 10 carrier-grade WiMAX base
stations and 40 Customer Premises Equipment devices to Haiti, which will be used
to set up 100 wireless hotspot locations across the country. In addition, 100
satellite terminals have now been deployed to rapidly re-establish basic
communication links, along with a Qualcomm Deployable Base Station complete
cellular network to support disaster relief and clean-up efforts.
www.itu.int/emergencytelecoms/index.html.
For more information contact:
Sarah Parkes
ITU Media Relations
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+41 22 730 6135 |
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+41 79 599 1439 |
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+41 22 730 5939 |
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pressinfo@itu.int |
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Cosmas Zavazava
Chief of Division, Emergency Telecommunications
Telecommunication Development Bureau
ITU
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+41 22 730 5447 |
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cosmas.zavazava@itu.int |
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About ITU...
About Collabria LLC
US-based Collabria LLC is developer of innovative software solutions that allow users to quickly, efficiently and securely communicate with other Collabria users from a laptop or desktop computer. Collabria combines voice, video, text, file transfers and bulletins into a single application with simplicity and security.