Ericsson Response

Since 2000, Ericsson Response has played a leading role in the UN Emergency Telecommunications Cluster (ETC), a global network of organizations that work together to provide shared communications services in humanitarian emergencies. In 2021, Ericsson Response signed a standby partnership agreement with UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency and officially supports the Refugee Emergency Telecommunications Sector (RETS), the global lead for coordinating the delivery of connectivity services in refugee emergencies. Our partners include the World Food Programme, the UN Refugee Agency, the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB).

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Ericsson's role

When Ericsson Response volunteers arrive in a disaster zone, their role is to enable temporary voice and data connectivity so that humanitarian relief agencies can quickly coordinate their relief efforts. Ericsson Response works together with relief agencies, governments and local authorities to prioritise deployments in affected areas, using its telecoms skills and technology to bring together the aid organizations that help alleviate the affected populations. Volunteers remain in the affected areas enhancing and maintaining networks and equipment until local services have sufficiently recovered or until the temporary network capacity is no longer needed.

Based entirely on staff volunteers, Ericsson Response has helped out in humanitarian disasters for 20 years, in a wide variety of situations around the world.

The key role of Ericsson Response is to install and maintain temporary internet connectivity until local services have sufficiently recovered or until increased capacity is no longer needed.

More key facts

Hear from Lars Ruediger, Program Director, Ericsson Response

Since its establishment in 2000, Ericsson Response has consistently demonstrated the powerful role information and communication technology (ICT) can play in relief efforts by providing internet access to humanitarian workers in disaster areas. I myself became an Ericsson Response volunteer in 2006 and the program has been an important part of my life ever since. Over the course of the past 10+ years, I have participated in several field missions as well as doing back-office support and development work, and preparing systems for deployment.

Dwight Witherspoon with Ericsson Response volunteers

Read about volunteering for Ericsson Response

Earlier this month, I had the privilege of travelling to Linköping (Sweden) to take part in the weeklong training program to become an Ericsson Response volunteer. Ericsson Response is a global initiative in which Ericsson works in partnership with UN agencies such as the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the World Food Programme (WFP), and UNICEF, and NGOs such as the Red Cross and Save the Children, to provide telecommunications and internet support in disaster situations.

Mission in Dominica

Ericsson Response working in disaster afflicted areas. Hurricane Maria (Category 5) struck the Caribbean in September 2017 and first made landfall on Dominica.

Mission in Nepal

On April 25, 2015 a devastating earthquake struck Nepal. Ericsson Response as part of the UN Emergency Telecom Cluster was immediately deployed to assist in the relief efforts.

Mission in South Sudan

In 2012, Ericsson Response worked with Emergency Telecommunications Cluster partners, emergency.lu and the World Food Programme, to provide vital communications services to relief workers in South Sudan.

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