Vodafone Extends Support for Télécoms Sans Frontières

The Vodafone Foundation will extend EUR 1 million in support to the disaster relief agency Télécoms sans Frontières (TSF) under a three year partnership. Télécoms sans Frontières specialises in bringing wireless communications to affected areas to help humanitarian relief agencies coordinate their efforts and to enable displaced families to make a three minute call to reassure loved ones.

Vodafone has also been trialling a portable GSM network that could help TSF and relief workers in the wake of a disaster. Vodafone, working alongside Huawei at its Mobile Innovation Centre in Madrid, have developed a prototype portable GSM network that can be set up to handle free local calls among relief workers in less than 40 minutes. The equipment can be packed into three suitcases, which can be transported on commercial flights, avoiding the inevitable delays that surround cargo deliveries of bulkier equipment.
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http://www.tsfi.org/