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International Telecommunication Union (ITU): Vital communication links
restored after Peru quake
(M2 PressWIRE Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)
RDATE:06092007
Vital communication links restored after Peru quake ITU deploys
satellite terminals in affected areas
Geneva, 6 September 2007 - Following the devastating earthquake
measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale that struck Southern Peru on 15
August 2007, killing more than 500 people and injuring as well as
displacing thousands more, ITU deployed 50 satellite terminals to help
restore vital communication links in remote and underserved areas.
These links are critical in coordinating rescue and relief operations.
According to Ms Cayetana Aljovin, Vice-Minister for Communications of
Peru, the equipment is being deployed in areas where telecommunications
are not available. But these are most needed to facilitate emergency
teams as well as government organizations in establishing
communications to coordinate their work. "We take very seriously the
role of telecommunications in mitigating disasters," said Mr Sami Al
Basheer Al Morshid, Director of ITU's Telecommunication Development
Bureau. "Whenever a country is affected by a disaster, we quickly
mobilize and dispatch transportable telecommunications resources that
can be used for general communications by government authorities and to
provide e-services such as telemedicine that are crucial for saving
human lives. We hope that this contribution will go a long way towards
helping Peru cope with this massive earthquake".
Emergency telecommunication is the key for government and humanitarian
aid agencies involved in rescue operations, medical assistance and
rehabilitation. Mountainous terrain in Peru has severely hampered
access and the coordination of rescue operations. The restoration of
telecommunication resources have helped bridge these gaps and provided
the much needed link for the transmission and reception of high speed
data for e-applications and for voice communications. This has provided
succour to both government authorities and relief agencies as well as
to the affected population.
ITU has been responsible for transporting and deploying all the
terminals as well as paying for the air time for using them.
Twelve of the terminals are Global Area Network (GAN) terminals and 38
are regional broadband global network satellite terminals (RBGAN). The
12 GAN terminals are capable of providing voice, data and video
services, and the 38 RBGAN terminals provide high-speed data
communications.
For further information, please visit
www.itu.int/ITU-D/emergencytelecoms/index.html.
About ITU
ITU is the leading United Nations agency for information and
communication technology issues, and the global focal point for
governments and the private sector in developing networks and services.
For more than 140 years, ITU has coordinated the shared global use of
the radio spectrum, promoted international cooperation in assigning
satellite orbits, worked to improve telecommunication infrastructure in
the developing world, and established the worldwide standards that
foster seamless interconnection of a vast range of communications
systems.
ITU also organizes worldwide and regional exhibitions and forums
bringing together the most influential representatives of government
and the telecommunications industry to exchange ideas, knowledge and
technology for the benefit of the global community, and in particular
the developing world.
From broadband internet to latest-generation wireless technologies,
from aeronautical and maritime navigation to radio astronomy and
satellite-based meteorology, from phone and fax services to TV
broadcasting and next-generation networks, ITU continues to play a
central role in helping the world communicate.
Visit our Web site at http://www.itu.int/newsroom
CONTACT: Sanjay Acharya Chief, Media Relations and Public Information,
ITU
Tel: +41 22 730 6135
e-mail: pressinfo@itu.int
Cosmas Zavazava, Head of Division Emergency Telecommunications, ITU
Tel: + 41 22 730 5447
e-mail: cosmas.zavazava@itu.int
Roberto Bastidas-Buch, ITU Area Office Tegucigalpa
Tel: +504 220 1074
e-mail: roberto.bastidas@itu.int
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Copyright 2007 M2 Communications Ltd.
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