In the wake of Cyclone Batsirai which hit Madagascar late on Saturday 5 February, Eutelsat Communications  stepped in to provide satellite equipment and in-orbit resources on its EUTELSAT KONNECT satellite to Gulfsat Madagascar in support of the World Food Programme’s (WFP) disaster relief coordination efforts.

The cyclone brought massive flooding across the country with widespread damage to infrastructure. Under the auspices of the WFP, in-orbit capacity provided by Eutelsat’s satellite coupled with Gulfsat Madagascar’s ground-breaking telecom expertise was assured vital support to early relief operations by deploying telecommunications resources in zones where terrestrial networks had been damaged, saturated or destroyed by the cyclone.

Philippe Oliva, Eutelsat’s Chief Commercial Officer, commented: “We are proud to deliver equipment and resources to the World Food Programme, which we have supported since 2015, in the face of this humanitarian disaster. Eutelsat strives to establish satellite technology as the go-to infrastructure for digital inclusion in hard-to-reach areas. Our Group plays an active role in disaster relief around the World, with satellites providing an indispensable solution for humanitarian aid operations to restore communications wherever they are most needed.”