Inmarsat-sponsored Télécoms Sans Frontières (TSF) touched down in Nepal on 28 April to begin the vital task of re-establishing communications within the region following the devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake.
The emergency telecoms NGO immediately set up camp at Kathmandu International Airport, alongside Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams from across the world, to install a high-speed satellite BGAN internet connection.
Using BGAN, TSF is creating a Wi-Fi environment within the camp that will ensure the Off-Site Operation Coordination Centre (OSOCC) dedicated to Search and Rescue can coordinate life-saving relief efforts.
This connection also allows rescue teams from USAR Netherlands, Poland, Singapore, China, the USA, the UK, Germany, Spain, France, Norway, Belgium, Japan, Switzerland and Canada to carry out situation analyses, allocation of assignments and disaster mapping to enhance their operations amongst those trapped in the rubble.
It is estimated that the earthquake has claimed more than 5,000 lives to date with thousands more injured and left homeless.
