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TSF equips Haitian relief co-ordination with broadband

19-01-2010 - Multiple broadband access points and phonelines for co-ordinating disaster relief and humanitarian calls have been set up in the Haiti earthquake zone by Télécoms Sans Frontières (TSF).

The Inmarsat-sponsored aid agency has deployed BGAN and Mini M satellite terminals to support emergency co-ordination and logistics centres near the airport in Port-au-Prince.

"Support for these centres is key as the UN and other organisations co-ordinate their efforts to respond as soon as possible to immediate needs of Haitians for search and rescue, medical services, clean water and sanitation, emergency shelter, food and telecoms," said TSF's Monique Lanne Petit.

Disaster assessment
The TSF teams arrived from bases in Nicaragua and France to support the relief effort. Much of their work is focused on supporting relief agencies in TSF's role as an emergency first responder for UN organisations - in particular Unicef and the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Co-ordination (UNDAC) teams.

"We're also providing IT support to Minustah - the UN's stabilisation mission in Haiti - at Minustah's complex close to the airport," said Monique.

"We're planning to open a telecoms centre dedicated to NGOs to ensure there is enough telecoms capacity for all."

Humanitarian calling
She added that more UN-backed disaster relief co-ordination centres are planned across Haiti as the relief effort expands.

TSF has also set up humanitarian calling centres in Port-au-Prince equipped with Inmarsat Mini M and has plans for more - in the capital and beyond.

On 16 January a phoning centre was opened in the Pétionville district, followed by centres in Boyer district and at the Sylvio Cator Stadium on 18 January.

International destinations
"The first days of humanitarian calling reveal that the Haitian community overseas is very important to Haitians as 100 per cent of calls have so far been made to international destinations - the vast majority to the US," reported Monique.

"In this desperate situation, giving people a link with the outside world is vital. The possibility to reassure loved-ones with one single sentence - 'I am alive' is essential."

TSF

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