The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) has deployed satellites to aid disaster-stricken areas.
The union says it has dispatched satellite terminals to Haiti and Pakistan, so high-speed data capability can assist in applying telemedicine.
It deployed 30 broadband satellite terminals to Haiti last week, as the country prepared for hurricane Tomas, which struck at the weekend.
“The satellite terminals are part of the overall hurricane preparedness efforts under way in Haiti. The equipment, which will be deployed initially for a year, is intended to support relevant governmental and non-state humanitarian agencies in accordance with requirements on the ground.”
The ITU explains that the terminals being deployed have a high-speed data capability that is suitable for advanced telemedicine applications, and will be useful to monitor and address ongoing health concerns in Haiti as with the recent cholera epidemic.
It also says the terminals will be used to support the overall recovery effort in Haiti, as well as to strengthen early warning capabilities.
Vital communication
The union has also deployed 100 terminals to flood-affected districts of Pakistan.
“The satellite terminals are being deployed to restore communications and provide a platform from which telemedicine applications/services will be provided in remote areas that remain difficult to access and where medical attention is a priority in the aftermath of the disaster.”
It explains that the satellite terminals, which support high-speed data, have the potential to provide the much-needed link between medical aid workers in the field and referral centres. This will provide diagnostic support and real-time consultation with medical specialists in far-off hospitals anywhere in the world.
“Re-establishing communications is a critical tool in disaster management to ensure timely dissemination of authoritative information to government entities and aid agencies involved in rescue and rehabilitation efforts.
“The ITU is working with emergency communications partners Iridium Communications and Inmarsat to ensure connectivity for satellite handsets, which will be used by local authorities to facilitate humanitarian assistance to disaster victims.”
Local benefit
SA was voted onto the ITU council last month.
The union is the United Nations' agency for ICT issues, and the global focal point for governments and the private sector in developing networks and services.
SA was elected onto the council as one of the 13 member states in region D, which represents Africa.
Former communications minister Siphiwe Nyanda said SA was elected onto the council, even though it was not on the list of African Union-endorsed countries.
BMI-TechKnowledge MD Denis Smit says that, along with a prestige factor, there is great advantage for SA being on the council, because it will bring the country closer to the global regulatory framework.
“A stronger relationship with the ITU will also be a great advantage in maintaining standards and it will be technically good for the country.”
Nyanda also mentioned the ITU's effect on SA. “We have benefited tremendously from the work of the ITU in many areas. For example, the ITU's work in ensuring spectrum management is efficient and effective, the introduction of broadband services to rural communities, and the adherence to the migration programme from analogue to digital broadcasting.”
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