Inmarsat pledges $1.2m worth of satellite airtime to ITU partner coalition

Inmarsat has announced that it will donate $1.2m of satellite airtime to Partner2Connect Coalition (P2C), during the meeting of the Industry Advisory Group on Development Issues and the Private Sector Chief Regulatory Officers  to discuss the Partner2Connect Digital Coalition,

This donation will help further the goal of ‘Connecting People Everywhere’, as the reliability of satellite communication technology continues to prove pivotal in disaster preparedness, recovery, and response.

Since its launch in late 2021, the P2C has been preparing to mobilise resources, through partnerships, to ensure meaningful connectivity to everyone everywhere, including the critical work to support people in developing nations faced with natural and man-made disasters, and the governments and humanitarian agencies working to connect them.

The Partner2Connect Coalition is a multi-stakeholder alliance launched by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to foster connectivity and digital transformation, even in the hardest-to-connect communities. They recognise that the key to this progress is through meaningful partnerships.

The Coalition’s goals – connecting people everywhere, empowering communities, and building digital ecosystems – resonate with Inmarsat’s own, the company said.

Satellite technologies enable humanitarian workers to construct emergency telecom centres in minutes, optimise emergency aid processes through the provision of satcom connectivity, enhance their security in danger zones, and provide instant connections regardless of damaged or congested terrestrial networks – significantly contributing to the Coalition’s goal of connecting people everywhere.

Commenting on the pledge, Donna Bethea-Murphy, Senior Vice President Global Regulatory, Inmarsat: “We’re thrilled to make this pledge and continue our partnership with the Partner2Connect Coalition, to help them achieve their goal to connect people everywhere. The pledge announced today will help ensure that our satellite technology can be used to achieve meaningful connectivity to everyone everywhere.”

Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Director of the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau, added: “I thank Inmarsat for the generous contribution in support of ITU disaster relief efforts with a pledge through the Partner2Connect Digital Coalition. The Coalition is a game-changing opportunity for the ICT sector to take a holistic approach, catalyse new partnerships, and mobilise the resources needed to connect those who are still offline. I am calling on all players to step up and help us connect those 2.9bn that are unconnected. We simply cannot wait for another pandemic. I welcome this pledge towards Partner2Connect and I look forward to welcoming many more soon so that we can truly ‘Partner2Connect the World’.”

Inmarsat will be attending the Partner2Connect roundtable, set to take place during the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC) from June 6-22. The event considers topics, projects, and programmes relevant to telecommunication development, providing future direction and guidance.