NETHOPE CONNECTS ITS NGO MEMBERS
90 D-STAR terminals installed in Africa, the
Middle East and South Asia for aid organisations
NetHope is a collaborative organisation
formed by the world’s largest humanitarian
aid organisations. Its mission is to provide IT
equipment and solutions in countries where
its members implement their programmes
and projects.
Broadband access is a key component for
humanitarian agencies, whether it is for reestablishing
communications as a matter
of urgency following a natural disaster,
promoting education, or supporting economic
development of regions not connected to
high-speed terrestrial networks.
In answer to the growing demand from
humanitarian associations for easily
deployable, migratory solutions for broadband
access, NetHope has been working with
Skylogic - Eutelsat’s broadband subsidiary
- to make D-STAR terminals available, from
Paraguay to Nepal, that are simple and quick
to deploy, and with bandwidth consumption
at a fixed price regardless of where sites are
located.
Today, 90 bi-directional satellite terminals
have been installed for NetHope’s members,
via Skylogic, in 18 different countries including
Africa, the Middle East and South Asia. A
small antenna and indoor D-STAR terminal
at each site is connected, via satellite, to the
Internet backbone using Skylogic’s IP hub
located at their teleport in Turin. This solution
is available on six Eutelsat satellites, which
provide extensive geographic coverage.
Edward Granger-Happ, CTO of Save the
Children, a founding member of NetHope,
said of the solution; “This agreement means
more to Save the Children than just improving
communications with our staff in some of the
remotest areas of the world. The adoption of
Eutelsat’s solution means we are one step closer to creating real and lasting change for
many children who now live in communities with
little or no access to modern communications
technologies.” Save the Children is a leading
independent humanitarian organisation that
works in 40 countries worldwide, including
the United States.
