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Ericsson Response expands

Ericsson Response is now even better equipped to help during disasters in Latin America. A new agreement between Ericsson and the Red Cross expands the Ericsson Response program in the Americas to cover the northern region of Latin America.

January 12, 2004

Oscar Zuluaga and David Arango from Ericsson assisted by a Colombian Red Cross technology delegate.
A joint exercise in Colombia was held to launch the new agreement. A Letter of Intent was signed between Ericsson Colombia and the Colombian Red Cross on January 5. This is Ericsson Response's second agreement in the Americas and it will operate together with the first, which covers Central America and the Caribbean.

Fredrik Ambjörn, head of Market Unit Northern Latin America, signed the agreement on behalf of Ericsson. "Our strong commitment to good corporate citizenship is the most important reason why Ericsson supports social responsibility activities," Ambjörn said.
Dag Nielsen, director of Ericsson Response, was in Colombia for the signing and the exercise. "We have donated two containers equipped with TDMA mobile systems, 1200 mobile phones and 200 GlobalStar satellite phones to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)."

"This equipment is located at the Pan-American Disaster Response Unit (PADRU) in Panama and can quickly be put to use in either of the regions. This region is often struck by disasters, and the local Red Cross in Colombia is well developed and very competent, including when it comes to IT. This makes it easier to further develop Ericsson Response in the region."

The exercise was held in Colombia during the popular Manizales fair, an event that attracts thousands of people every year and puts high demands on the Colombian Red Cross. The equipment was flown from PADRU in Panama to Bogotá in Colombia and then transported by road to Manizales. The road trip took 12 hours and required all the security measures of the Colombian Red Cross.
The simulation exercise covered the urban area of Manizales City. The equipment was installed in about 16 hours and its final configuration and integration was done in 18 hours.

The interconnection with operator Bellsouth Colombia made international calls and Internet access possible. A local team of Ericsson volunteers led the installation, configuration, operation and maintenance of the equipment, with support from technical staff from the Colombian Red Cross, PADRU and BellSouth Colombia.
"This exercise was so important for our Ericsson Response team because in a real emergency, we now have more competence and can reduce implementation time," says Oscar Zuluaga, responsible for Engineering and Solutions for Ericsson Response in Market Unit Northern Latin America.

Nielsen says: "It's been a great experience. Everybody really digs in. It's been tricky to get the system up and running, but this is an exercise and the point is to learn and improve."
The system will be shipped back to the PADRU when the festival ends. Ericsson Response volunteers in the region are now ready for emergency operations in Venezuela, Ecuador, Colombia and the Caribbean.
Ericsson Response is a program built on the voluntary work of Ericsson employees. Ericsson provides humanitarian relief organizations, such as the United Nations and the IFRC, with expertise and equipment to establish communication in areas struck by disaster.

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