Satellite broadband service provider Intelsat donated its services to the International Red Cross & Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and Team Rubicon for relief efforts in Nepal following last month’s 7.8-magnitude earthquake. The quake and subsequent aftershocks disrupted communications throughout the country, and “last mile” connectivity for countless remote communities. Millions of victims were left in need of relief, and the conventional communications infrastructure was devastated.

IFRC and Team Rubicon set about deploying satellite-based broadband networks to support emergency medical and other logistical operations. Among other efforts, the IntelsatOne terrestrial network at Intelsat’s Fuchsstadt, Germany Teleport supported Internet connections and voice-over-Internet (VOI) service to remote hospitals in stricken areas.

Kurt Riegelman, Intelsat senior v-p of sales and marketing, said, “Given the nature of satellite technology and our global fleet, we are able to deliver the rapid response and deployment to critical communications necessary to support organizations as they provide needed assistance to those impacted. Our thoughts are with the people of Nepal and the mend and women from all over the world who are coming to their aid.”