Télécoms Sans Frontiéres (TSF) and Inmarsat are celebrating 20 years of partnership that provides communications capabilities during humanitarian crises. TSF is the world’s first non-governmental organization (NGO) focused on emergency response technologies. They assist people touched by disasters such as earthquakes, floods or population displacements to contact loved ones. Meanwhile, Inmarsat provides the technology, hardware and connectivity required to provide this essential service. Inmarsat became the very first official partner of TSF, enabling them to provide connectivity for victims of crises in a matter of minutes.
The impact of the TSF and Inmarsat partnership is truly amazing: over the past 20 years they have provided over 120 million individuals from 70+ countries connectivity to work through over 140 disasters.
At the onset of a disaster, TSF personnel are able to provide connections to Inmarsat’s Global Xpress, broadband global area networks and IsatPhone 2 to provide communications for NGOs, United Nations agencies and governments. It is in the first hours following a disaster that the most lives can be saved and Inmarsat’s long-standing support is an essential element to allow TSF to do this.
“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,” says Jean-François Cazenave, President of TSF. “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’s 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.”
“The partnership between Télécoms Sans Frontières and Inmarsat is a long and valuable one, helping countless people around the globe,” says Alison Horrocks, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer of Inmarsat. “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.”
To learn more about Télécoms Sans Frontiéres, visit www.tsfi.org. To learn more about Inmarsat, visit www.inmarsat.com.
