Inmarsat and Télécoms Sans Frontières (TSF) today celebrate 20 years of partnership providing essential first response communications in disaster relief worldwide.
TSF is the world’s first non-governmental organisation (NGO) focusing on emergency-response technologies. During humanitarian crises TSF gives people touched by tragedy the possibility to contact their loved ones and begin to regain control of their lives. The organisation also builds rapid response communications centres for local and international responders.
Since its creation, TSF has responded to over 140 crises in more than 70 countries, providing communication means to over 20 million people and nearly 1,000 NGOs. Whether in response to storms, earthquakes, floods or massive population displacements, TSF is often first on the scene, enabling coordination of relief efforts and restoring contact to victims of disasters worldwide.
Shining example
Jean-François Cazenave, President of TSF, said: “Back in 2000 the partnership with Inmarsat allowed us to turn what was at that time a group of passionate humanitarian professionals into a fully-fledged NGO. We are particularly proud of celebrating this 20th anniversary because the partnership with Inmarsat is a shining example of what partnerships mean for TSF.
“It is of course about financial support, and providing us the means to assist the most vulnerable, but it goes far beyond this. All of this is grounded in solid human relationships with people who understood from the very first moment our vision and our values and who are always willing to go the extra mile to support them. It is rooted in a shared commitment to use technologies to give a voice to those silenced by any kind of humanitarian crisis.”
As part of its global community outreach and support, Inmarsat has provided technology, hardware and connectivity to TSF for its crucial work. In 2000, Inmarsat became the very first official partner of TSF, understanding its mission to bring communications to the hundreds of thousands of people who have been cut off and isolated from the world through natural disasters and conflicts. Inmarsat’s commitment, as well as its equipment and technology, is essential for TSF’s work – allowing the NGO’s dedicated personnel to arrive in the field and set up the latest in satellite communications technology immediately following a disaster.
Vital coordination
Within a matter of minutes, Inmarsat’s Global Xpress, BGAN and IsatPhone 2 services are deployed to provide priority humanitarian telephone calls for the affected population and to generate vital coordination centre communications for fellow NGOs, United Nations agencies, governments and local institutions on the ground. It is in the first hours following a disaster that the most lives can be saved and Inmarsat’s longstanding support is an essential element to allow TSF to do this.
Alison Horrocks, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at Inmarsat, said “The partnership between Télécoms Sans Frontières and Inmarsat is a long and valuable one, helping countless people around the globe. We are honoured to be able to celebrate 20 years with such a dedicated partner.
“Our founding mission was to save lives at sea and it is rewarding for our teams to know that we continue to do so while also growing that commitment to saving lives on land with TSF as well. Inmarsat enables the connected world and it is difficult to imagine a better use of our technology than how it is used to support TSF and their missions.”
Picture this: You are one of the first emergency responders to reach a town devastated by an earthquake. Everything has gone – buildings, power supply, phone networks. How many people are trapped? How many thousands need basic shelter, food, water? How do you get help to them, fast?
Picture this: It’s your community that lies in ruins. You have survived but you have lost everything. How can you reach your family to let them know you are safe but destitute? How do you find out if your friends and neighbours are still alive?
In desperate scenarios like this, one organisation supplies the means to get the answers – emergency telecommunications NGO Télécoms Sans Frontières (TSF). Often one of the first humanitarian bodies on the ground wherever and whenever disaster strikes, TSF sets up communication centres for aid agencies to coordinate the critical early response to natural disasters, and humanitarian operations offering victims free satellite phone calls and Wi-Fi when all other means of communication have failed.
As Inmarsat marks 20 years of partnership with TSF, we look back at a very special association.
Innovative technologies
“Telecommunications was not considered a priority in a humanitarian context 20 years ago but Inmarsat recognised its importance,” explains TSF Communications and International Relations Officer, Carolina Duarte de Jesus. “Since then, it has deployed by our side in over 70 countries and become a fundamental part of our DNA.
“What makes our partnership so special is that it goes far beyond funding and free airtime. It brings together Inmarsat’s technical know-how and TSF’s humanitarian experience to use innovative technology solutions to assist the most vulnerable.
“It works so well because we share the same values. Inmarsat was conceived from the need to help save lives at sea and we are convinced that this shared sense of obligation to protect the vulnerable, to foster innovation and to empower individuals helps drive the relationship.”
Communications lifeline
TSF was set up in 1998 to offer a communications lifeline to people whose lives had been turned upside down by natural catastrophe or conflict. At the time, co-founders Monique Lanne-Petit and Jean-François Cazenave had just one Inmarsat Mini-M satellite terminal, but when they partnered with us two years later they gained access to the equipment and support that helped them to build up the organisation.
Today TSF is the principal communications provider to the United Nations in disaster situations, and also supports the European Commission and non-governmental relief agencies.
The satellite services it uses have also been transformed in those two decades. In 2017, TSF deployed Global Xpress (GX) for the first time when hurricanes Irma and Maria ripped through the Caribbean in quick succession.
High bandwidth
“GX has had a significant impact on the effectiveness of our humanitarian actions. It enables us to offer high bandwidth speeds in emergency situations with the flexibility to move easily wherever it is needed,” explains Carolina.
“Especially in the aftermath of a natural disaster, transportation can be severely impacted and several villages might require help at the same time. To be able to reach as many of the affected areas as quickly as possible and offer Wi-Fi connectivity, it’s essential that our teams have portable and reliable equipment with global coverage – GX fully meets this need.
“GX also enables us to better control the costs of our missions and be operational in record time, ultimately increasing the efficiency of the humanitarian community and improving the impact amongst affected populations.”
COVID-19 challenge
This year the global COVID-19 pandemic has made the work of NGOs like TSF even more challenging.
“If a natural disaster had struck during the last few months, travel restrictions would have made it impossible for us to deploy and provide our usual kind of assistance. The situation is improving in several countries now and we’re working with other humanitarian organisations and the UN to maximise the possibility of intervention if a disaster occurs,” says Carolina.
TSF has contributed to the fight against the virus. In April, the NGO donated six IsatPhone 2 satellite phones to the National Institute for Disaster Management in Mozambique, to help the coordination of the country’s response to COVID-19. When the first cases were reported in conflict-torn Syria, extra satellite links were set up in the hospitals TSF supports there.
Expanding projects
“When physical deployment isn’t possible, satellite connectivity means we can continue to help the most vulnerable,” added Carolina.
Many of TSF’s missions in response to protracted humanitarian emergencies have continued. Its activities to provide education to displaced populations and bridge the divide in isolated communities have even expanded during the coronavirus crisis, including projects in Turkey and Mexico.
As Inmarsat and TSF enter their third decade of partnership in a changing world, one thing is certain, says Carolina: “We always know that we can rely on each other and that Inmarsat will pick up the phone and be ready to assist when we need any help during an emergency. In humanitarian crises, when every minute counts to save lives, this is fundamental and very reassuring for everyone at TSF and for our beneficiaries.”
