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WTPF 26

ITU Disaster Response

​​​​​​​​​​​​When disasters strike, and upon request by Member States, ITU deploys satellite telephones and terminals as well as other emergency telecommunications equipment to affected countries within the first 24 to 48 hours. This equipment helps restore vital communication links and is critical for coordination of disaster response activities within the government and humanitarian agencies involved in rescue and relief operations. 

In February 2025, ITU BDT and Intelsat announced their cooperation agreement signed in October 2024, that aimed at enhancing disaster preparedness and response through satellite telecommunications. To know more about this agreement, please refer to the ITU BDT communiqué here.

Pre-positioning of emergency telecommunications equipment


Equipment have been strategically pre-positioned to reduce response times in the aftermath of disasters. This ensures timely restoration of communication links and enables the countries fast response to affected communities.​
    • ​In the United Arab Emirates, at the WFP’s Emergency Telecommunications Cluster warehouse in Dubai, to assist Arab, Asia and the Pacific, as well as African countries | See BDT Director's Tweet​.
    • In Zimbabwe, at POTRAZ, where equipment will serve the SADC member states 
    • In Barbados, to assist the Caribbean countries as well as the Americas region
    • In Indonesia, at the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance (AHA Centre) in Jakarta, to assist ASEAN countries, and the wider Asia-Pacific, as needed | See BDT Director's Twe​et​.
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JAMAICA

On 28 October 2025, Category 5 Hurricane Melissa struck Jamaica as one of the most powerful storms in the nation’s history. The impacts on infrastructure, communications, and essential services were profound, prompting a large-scale relief and recovery effort across the island. To support the country, ITU deployed 17 Iridium satellite phones on 1 November 2025​ to support humanitarian activities on the ground. The satellite phones were delivered to the State Agency for Management (SAM), which is responsible for coordinating their use in the field.​​

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MOZAMBIQUE

On 19 December 2024, ITU deployed 12 Iridium satellite phones to Mozambique to support the country following the devastating impact of Tropical Cylone Chido. This catastrophic event caused significant damage to property and infrastructure, particularly in the northern part of Mozambique, Cabo Delgado, Nampula and Niassa provinces. The equipment will be used to coordinate humanitarian actions within all the entities involved in the recovery and reconstruction efforts​.​



JAMAICA, GRENADA AND SAINT VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES​

In July 2024, in order to support the disaster response of hurricane Beryl, the Telecommunication Development Bureau of ITU deployed 7 Iridium satellite phones to Jamaica; 5 Iridium satellite phones to Grenada; and 4 Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN) devices and 4 Iridium satellite phones to St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Hurricane Beryl was recorded to be the earliest Category 5 storm according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), and its passage resulted in loss of lives and damage to property and infrastructure, including severe disruptions to communications networks in all of the three islands. In the aftermath of the disaster, the ITU-led Disaster Connectivity Map (DCM) was also activated to support responders with near real-time information on telecommunications connectivity status in Grenada, Jamaica and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. ​​


​PAPUA NEW GUINEA​​

On 7 August 2023, ITU deployed satellite telecommunications equipment to support Papua New Guinea in the aftermath of the volcanic eruption of Mount Bagana in Bougainville. This equipment will be used to coordinate evacuation activities of all at risk communities that live near the Volcano, to evacuation/care centres located in Central and South Bougainville. The evacuation has been undertaken in coordination with the Autonomous Bougainville Government. The satellite equipment deployed is composed of 10 Iridium satellite phones and 5 Inmarsat BGAN terminals. ​

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MALAWI AND MOZAMBIQUE

In March 2023, following the request from Malawi and Mozambique, the emergency telecommunications team deployed 25 Thuraya satellite phones​ to Malawi and 10 Iridium satellite phones to Mozambique in support of the disaster response of cyclone Freddy. Cyclone Freddy has broken the record as the longest-lasting tropical cyclone on record. The heavy rainfall brought floods and mudslides, resulting in loss of lives and damage to property and infrastructure. More than 200 people died and more than one million people affected. 

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NICARAGUA 

ITU, through its Emergency Telecommunications Roster, has deployed Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN) terminals and satellite phones to Nicaragua to restore communications connectivity after the country was hit by hurricane Julia in October 2022. During the deployment, ITU trained local teams on using the equipment, brought the units to affected areas, and presented ITU's work on emergency telecommunications such as the development of National Emergency Telecommunication Plans, and early warning systems like cell broadcasting. 

Read the ITU news article: ITU Emergency Telecom Roster h​elps restore connectivity after hurricane hits Nicaragua.​ ​

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TONGA

 
​Read the ITU news article: Restoring connectivity in Tonga through collaborative disaster response​
​​​On 15 January 2022, a large eruption of the Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha-apai underwater volcano caused a tsunami and ash fall in Tonga, with over 80% of the population affected. Among the​ eruption's devastating effects, the main undersea cable linking the island nation to the rest of the world broke in at least two places, largely disconnecting the small island developing state from the rest of the world. ITU has supported Tonga, including through direct response activities, in a number of ways and together with its partners, ITU devised a multi-pronged strategy. This included:
  • Repurposing existing equipment in Tonga from an earlier ITU project to enhance emergency telecommunication capacity in the Pacific.
  • Coordinating with satellite operators to provide bandwidth for disaster response.
  • Providing satellite phones to Tonga's Ministry of Meteorology, Energy, Information, Disaster Management, Environment, Climate Change and Communications (MEIDECC).
  • Collaborating with the UN-facilitated Emergency Telecommunications Cluster to provide regular updates to the Disaster Connectivity Map (DCM), an online mapping tool that monitors and identifies connectivity gaps and outages after disasters strike​​.​
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HAITI

ITU provided support to the Government of Haiti after the devastation caused by a 7.2 magnitude earthquake that struck the county on 14 August 2021, by providing 20 satellite phones and 10 Broadband Global Area Network (BGANs) terminals.​ 

These equipment were used by national humanitarian first responders to help communities that were severely impacted with recovery and reconstruction efforts.  During this emergency, ITU and the Emergency Telecommunications Cluster (ETC) also used the DCM to assist in planning for the response efforts and determine connectivity gaps in the impacted areas. DCM is a mapping platform to help first responders determine the status of telecommunications network infrastructure, coverage, and performance before and after a disaster. Since the earthquake, the DCM mapped over 12,000 connectivity data measurements and compared them to baseline measurements to fin​​d gaps that can be filled with emergency telecommunications, saving lives and connecting the people affected by this deadly event.​

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More Deployments

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Find out more about how ITU assisted the affected countries in the aftermath of a disaster and helped in restoring vital communication links in the previous years.​

ITU plays an important role in using ICTs for disaster risk reduction and management, through the design of national emergency telecommunication plans, the setting up of early warning and monitoring systems and the provision of emergency telecommunications equipment when disasters strike.

​For further inquiries contact us via email through eetmail@itu.int​

Stories

Crisis response: ITU’s response to Hurricane Beryl in Grenada, Jamaica and St. Vincent and the Grenadines​, July 2024

Strengthening Disaster Preparedness: ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau’s Collaborative Approach to Emergency Telecommunications​, May 2024​

Check out for more ITU Disaster Response stories on Emergency Telecommunications!​

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