The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Inmarsat and Vizada SAS have reached an agreement to improve emergency communications for disaster preparedness and to coordinate relief activities in the aftermath of a disaster.
Inmarsat and Vizada provide satellite-based solutions that are critical in supporting activities aimed at helping countries better respond to disasters and have agreed to donate 70 BGAN mobile satellite terminals, highly portable devices capable of delivering voice and broadband data, to the ITU.
The equipment will enhance the ITU’s capacity in deploying mobile telecommunications to assist countries in preparing for disaster and in strengthening response and recovery mechanisms. As part of the agreement, the two companies will also provide the ITU with preferential airtime rates and technical training support.
The agreement supports the ITU’s recently launched global initiative that seeks to bring together partners from all domains to cooperate towards disaster mitigation through the use of information and communication technologies.