As the many bushfires in the state of Victoria cut off power to rural communities throughout the fire-stricken rural area, Ericsson helped Australian operator Telstra restore wireless voice and data service for firefighters and local residents.

Tristram Gray of Ericsson Australia Human Resources in Melbourne says Ericsson, together with operator Telstra, provided fixed wireless terminals to Australia’s Country Fire Authority (CFA) to restore voice and data services to areas affected by the blazes.

Without the generator-powered terminals restoring transmission to the radio base stations, firefighters would have been unable to use their mobile handsets to communicate, Gray explains. “Once transmission was restored, they were able to communicate the direction the fire was moving in and to respond effectively,” he says. “Not only that, but people in the community were able to maintain communications with each other.”

Ericsson technicians also restored a base station in Noojee within 24 hours of it being affected by fire, Gray says.

“The Noojee base station went down on February 8 and we had it rebuilt by the following day, restoring service. So we’re back up and running there,” he says. “The CFA is using it as a staging area for their communications for their people, and for the communications for local residents.”

Ericsson employees have also banded together to donate to the Australian Red Cross, raising about EUR 30,000 to date for the Australian Red Cross. The company will continue to match donations to the Ericsson Bush Fire Appeal for the whole of February.

“Our employees have shown tremendous generosity and willingness to help their fellow Australians and the community that they work in,” Gray says.