ITU and Iridium enhance telecommunication capacity for
emergencies following natural disasters
Iridium donates new emergency telecommunication equipment to ITU
Geneva, 20 May 2015 – Iridium
Communications Inc, a satellite communications company that offers
global voice and data communications coverage, has donated new emergency
telecommunication equipment to ITU. The donation, which consists of 25 satellite
phones and batteries, will strengthen ITU’s telecommunication capacity in
response to natural disasters.
Iridium, a long-standing member of ITU, has been assisting ITU with emergency
telecommunication since 2007, when the first Iridium hand-held mobile satellite
phones and solar batteries were donated to the Union.
"We thank Iridium for this generous contribution," said ITU Secretary-General
Houlin Zhao. "This new equipment donation, combined with the reliability
of the Iridium network, will greatly boost ITU’s capacity in deploying
telecommunications during emergencies and will strengthen response and recovery
mechanisms.”
“Iridium’s donation comes at a critical time when natural disasters are on
the increase,” said Mr Brahima Sanou, Director of the ITU's Telecommunication
Development Bureau. “This partnership confirms our continued commitment to using
technology to save lives.”
Recently, ITU has deployed 35 satellite mobile phones and 10 Broadband Global
Area Network terminals to earthquake-stricken Nepal. The equipment, which
included Iridium satellite phones, ensures timely flow of information that is
much needed by government agencies and other humanitarian actors involved in
rescue operations.
“The work ITU is doing in Nepal, as well as in other disaster-stricken areas,
is vital,” said Mr Matt Desch, CEO of Iridium. “After an event such as this
series of earthquakes, much of the telecom infrastructure is often damaged or
destroyed, making the need for communications supported by a global, reliable
satellite network crucial to the recovery work that will occur in the days and
weeks to come. We’re proud to be a part of this work and hope our contributions
will help with the relief and rebuilding efforts.”
At the Third UN Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction held in Sendai, Japan,
in March 2015, ITU emphasized that with over 7 billion mobile cellular
subscriptions worldwide, almost 3 billion people connected to the internet and
with 4.9 billion connected devices, ICTs have a vast potential to support
disaster risk reduction efforts.
ITU considers emergency telecommunications an integral part of the post-2015
sustainable development agenda. Through innovative and easy to use technologies,
local communities can be empowered to provide early warning signals and also act
as first responders when the disaster strikes.
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