Satellite Operators Sign Crisis Connectivity Charter

At the World Humanitarian Summit Global Consultation held in Geneva, some of the world’s leading satellite operators, Eutelsat, Hispasat, Inmarsat, Intelsat, SES, Thuraya and Yahsat, under the umbrella of the EMEA Satellite Operators Association (ESOA) and the Global VSAT Forum (GVF), announced the signing of a Crisis Connectivity Charter with the global humanitarian community represented by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the Emergency Telecommunications Cluster (ETC).

In the past year alone, global natural disasters including in Vanuatu, Nepal and the Philippines demonstrated the critical role of communications in the wake of crises.  The satellite sector is systematically part of the first responder team, providing immediate communications links that support supply logistics, urgent medical care and coordination of relief efforts.

Embodying a commitment from the satellite community to enhance connectivity in humanitarian emergencies, the Charter formalizes terms and protocols designed to accelerate the ability of emergency response teams to access satellite-based communications when local networks are affected, destroyed or overloaded after a disaster. The principles of the Charter also include increased coordination to prioritize access to bandwidth for humanitarian purposes during disaster operations, pre-positioned satellite equipment and transmission capacity at times of disaster in 20 high-risk countries in Europe, the Middle-East, Africa and Asia, as identified by the ETC and beyond, as well as training and capacity building for the humanitarian community across all five continents.

Aarti Holla, Secretary General of ESOA: “ESOA is honored to have led this effort on behalf of member satellite operators who collectively deliver global coverage and connectivity. We have to recognize that number of crises around the world is increasing both as a result of climate change and geo-politics. As a result, the unique ability of satellite solutions to help save lives is becoming indispensable and the Charter will enable the ETC to trigger pre-positioned satellite solutions in any one of their 20 high-risk countries or beyond.”

Signing the Charter on behalf of UN OCHA, Stephen O’Brien, UN Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and the UN’s Emergency Relief Coordinator said: “The humanitarian community relies on satellite communications as they are the only technology that are immune to natural disasters and that can be immediately deployed, regardless of constraints such as geography. This is a significant step for the humanitarian community and a step change in the way we have worked with satellite operators in the past.”

Chair of the ETC and Chief Information Officer of the World Food Programme (WFP), Jakob Kern, noted: “The Charter seeks to ensure improved access to communications services in humanitarian emergencies, and with satellite services we can save lives. Through the Crisis Connectivity Charter and the ETC network, we endeavour to ensure that by 2020 all those responding to disasters, including affected people, can communicate to respond, recover and redevelop. Mobilising their members in this way, ESOA and GVF are supporting the ETC in making this vision a reality.”

Signing for GVF, David Hartshorn, Secretary General noted: “Our members provide emergency communications on all continents using key satellite spectrum such as the C-band. We hope governments and administrations the world over will recognize the vital role satellite operators play in the globe’s telecommunications infrastructure and its ability to ensure an immediate, robust and resilient response to disasters.”

SES Partners With Softwire to Bring E-Learning Solutions to Rural Nigerian Communities
SES announced a multi-year contract with Softwire Digital Solutions who will be utilising SES capacity to implement countrywide e-learning solutions in Nigeria.

Softwire Digital Solutions, a provider of IT and capacity building services in Nigeria, has been chosen by the Nigerian Government as one of several to implement a number of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) projects, with the aim to bridge the digital and information gap that exists in the rural areas of Nigeria and provide more e-learning facilities to the underserved areas. Softwire will be utilising capacity on SES’s NSS-10 satellite for the deployment of this ICT project, under the financing of the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF).

“We are proud to be associated with SES, as they have the expertise and the technical know-how to help us achieve our goals in Nigeria,” commented Dalo Edetanlen, CEO Softwire Digital Solutions Limited. “Our partnership ensures that we will deliver quality service to our clients, particularly the USPF. We hope to leverage this relationship to expand our business and become one of the leading ISPs in the country.”

“Many governments and public institutions on the continent have already begun to develop broadband policies to address this digital inequality, but again are hindered by costs, infrastructure and inaccessible, non-urban populations,” says Ibrahima Guimba-Saidou, Senior Vice President, SES Commercial in Africa. “Satellites have vast coverage and a reach that’s undaunted by mountain, desert, jungle or savannah. Digital communications and broadband Internet are increasingly important to Nigeria and the continent’s social and economic development. Our satellite broadband technology is able to deliver a wide range of services across Nigeria’s non-urban population, to help drive growth and knowledge transfer.”