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.

Sarah Parkes Media Relations ITU Tel: +41 22 730 6135 Mobile: +41 79 599 1439 Fax: +41 22 730 5939 E-mail: pressinfoitu.int

Cosmas Zavazava Chief of Division, Emergency Telecommunications Telecommunication Development Bureau ITU Tel: +41 22 730 5447 E-mail: cosmas.zavazavaitu.int

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.