ITU Sends Satellite Terminals For Pakistan Floods

The International Telecommunications Unions (ITU) has revealed it is deploying 100 satellite terminals to parts of Pakistan that were ravaged by severe flooding back in August.

The satellite terminals will be used to restore communications and provide telemedicine applications and services for remote areas that are still difficult to access following the disaster. With winter fast approaching, medical attention is a priority in the mountainous areas of the upper Indus valley.

Remote Medical Help

The satellite terminals are capable of supporting high-speed data, so medical aid workers in the field can be connected to referral centres. This means that these field medics will have access to diagnostic support and real-time consultation with medical specialists, even if they are located in hospitals around the world.

Pakistan was hit by the flooding in August and it has proved to be a huge disaster for that country. Indeed, the floods are the worst ever in living memory. Nearly 20 million people have been affected and vast tracts of fertile agricultural land have been inundated with flood water.

The authorities, who are struggling to restore vital communication links, also have to contend with water-borne diseases and malnutrition.

When the scale of the disaster became clear, the ITU’s emergency telecommunications team began working closely with the Pakistan administration to restore vital communication links and provide emergency telecoms services to victims.

Disaster Recovery

The ITU said yesterday it had also deployed 40 broadband satellite terminals in Indonesian disaster zones, to restore communication links in the aftermath of a tsunami triggered by a 7.7-magnitude earthquake and a volcanic eruption.

latest responses mirror previous reactions to other disasters such as the earthquake in Haiti, in January. Telecoms Sans Frontieres helped re-establish communications in Haiti following that island’s deadly earthquake.

“The havoc caused by the floods will have long-term repercussions on the social and economic life of Pakistan,” said ITU Secretary-General Dr Hamadoun Toure. “At this time, it is critical to reach aid to the survivors, especially those living in remote, difficult-to-access areas. The broadband satellite terminals deployed by ITU will help communications with the outside world as well as provide telemedicine capabilities.”

Dr Toure is a vocal supporter of next generation communication technologies. Back in September he warned that the price of broadband is holding back economic development in the developing world, where it can cost more than a whole month’s average salary.

Under Dr Toure, the ITU has been calling for fairer access to broadband, as well as the use of IT to combat global problems such as poverty and climate change.

ITU Communication Efforts

The ITU is working with Inmarsat, Iridium Communications, Vizada, and Thuraya to ensure connectivity for satellite handsets, which will be used by local authorities to facilitate humanitarian assistance to disaster victims.

Satellite provider Inmarsat is well known in disaster relief circles as its technology is often used to restore communications. In June, Inmarsat was awarded the UK’s most prestigious prize for engineering innovation, thanks in part to its role in providing communications to disaster zones around the world.

The ITU is a United Nations agency and plays a major role in worldwide communications. It has predicted that 2 billion of the world’s total population of 6.8 billion people will be connected to the Internet by the end of the year.

And last month it finalised what can be correctly deemed as ‘true’ 4G technology, after it gave its official blessing to the next versions of LTE and WiMax.