Télécoms Sans Frontières uses Inmarsat technology in Mozambique. Photo: Inmarsat

Inmarsat is working to ensure emergency responders can aid during the COVID-19 pandemic through its Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN) and IsatPhone 2 services. The satellite operator has enabled its BGAN Link plan for global use, meaning that the normally static, geo-specific service can offer organizations a wider geographic range. 

Additionally, Inmarsat is offering a discount on data over monthly allowance for BGAN Pro Plan users, and an emergency voucher for IsatPhone 2 prepaid users. The BGAN service provides voice and broadband coverage from small satcom terminals, and the IsatPhone 2 is a handheld satellite phone. The company is also working partners to provide satellite communications for the relief efforts in Vanuatu, Fiji and Tonga following Cyclone Harold, the effects of which have been compounded by the pandemic. 

Monique Lanne-Petit, the director of Télécoms Sans Frontières, an NGO focusing on emergency-response technologies, said specifically, the organization is using Inmarsat technology in Syria to connect mobile medical teams in the Idlib region, and to support the Mozambique government’s response to citizens vulnerable to the pandemic. 

“These new initiatives will ensure aid and NGO organisations have access to the connectivity they need to do their job, wherever they are. We are very proud of the work our customers and partners are undertaking and we will continue to work closely with them during and beyond this period,” Inmarsat Enterprise President Mike Carter said.