Telecom equipment sent to assist Haiti
The UN has asked Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC) deploy its Ericsson Response organisation to aid relief work in disaster-stricken Haiti. Ericsson has had 20 volunteers on stand-by and will now send four, all telecom experts, to set up a container-based mini GSM-system to enable mobile communication in the area.
Personnel and equipment will arrive in Haiti using UN transportation.
Rima Qureshi, head of Ericsson Response, says: “We know from past experience how important it is for aid workers to coordinate the rescue operation using mobile communications. Aid workers can get their work done faster if we can provide them with the tools to get quickly in touch with the outside world, each other and those most affected by the emergency.”
In 2009, Ericsson Response supported relief work in Congo, Sudan, Indonesia and Philippines.
Ericsson Response was formed in 2000 and is the result of a conviction in Ericsson that telecommunication expertise is needed during times of disaster and has formed partnerships with international organisations such as the UN.