Thuraya collaborates with ITU for relief campaigns in Asia

Thuraya has provided a quantity of mobile handhelds and DSL terminals for both mobile and data communications, which is instrumental to any disaster management effort.

To help alleviate human suffering and boost the current disaster management campaigns, Thuraya deployed an initial batch of 30 mobile handheld terminals and 10 DSL terminals to the ITU, to help provide communication and coordinate relief operations after the cyclone in Myanmar.

Similarly, arrangements have been made to send the ITU another 100 mobile terminals in case they are required elsewhere in the region.

More than 30 Asia-Pacific countries have become part of Thuraya's footprint following the launch of its latest satellite, Thuraya-3, in January of this year.

Through its satellite system, Thuraya provides blanket telecom coverage in 170 countries spanning Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Services offered by Thuraya include mobile, data, rural telephony, maritime, GPS, GmPRS and fleet management, in addition to other specialised applications.

"We primarily serve a broad range of business and private sectors, including oil and gas, NGOs, rural communities, military and media. However in times of disasters, we can play a key role in providing swift and simultaneous communication back-up, especially when terrestrial networks are affected or such disasters have occurred in areas that are beyond reach," said Thuraya's CEO Mr. Yousuf Al Sayed.

Likewise, Thuraya provided similar aids in countries, such as Zambia, Uganda and Bangladesh last year when those countries were inundated with floods.