Far left: Maurizio Caruso, Director, Security Strategy, Policy and Planning at Inmarsat collects the award on Inmarsat’s behalf.
The Society of Satellite Professionals International (SSPI) has awarded a Better Satellite World Award to the signatories of the Crisis Connectivity Charter.
The charter, signed by Inmarsat and other world-leading satellite operators, signals their commitment to enhancing connectivity in humanitarian emergencies.
The SSPI award, presented at a ceremony in London on 3 December, recognises the Crisis Connectivity Charter as a key mechanism between the satellite industry and the wider humanitarian community to ensure satellite-based communications are readily available, thanks to pre-defined and pre-set solutions which allow immediate response in times of disaster.
The charter was developed by the EMEA Satellite Operator’s Association (ESOA) and the Global VSAT Forum (GVF) and their members, in coordination with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the Emergency Telecommunications Cluster (ETC), led by the World Food Programme (WFP).
In May 2018, the operational phase of the charter saw the signatories commit dedicated equipment and pre-allocated bandwidth capacity for humanitarian purposes that can be activated within 24 hours of a crisis and cover all regions of the globe.
Inmarsat CEO Rupert Pearce said: “Inmarsat is proud to be part of the Crisis Connectivity Charter and is pleased to have been recognised for its work supporting humanitarian aid efforts. Providing reliable mobile connectivity when a disaster strikes anywhere in the world can make a difference between life and death.”
The Better Satellite World Awards are presented annually to three organisations or individuals who have demonstrated the use of satellite to make a significant contribution to human welfare, good governance, safety, peace and security, improved education and other measures of global good.
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