Ericsson deploys crack mobile response team to Haiti disaster zone

Last week we saw just how effective mobile can be when it comes to sending relief to people in need – charity efforts driven by SMS have drawn in tens of millions of dollars from people who would otherwise not have donated. But today we see a different kind of disaster relief, as global infrastructure provider Ericsson deploys its Response team to Haiti.

What’s Ericsson Response?

The Response program is an initiative created by Ericsson to make sure that communications stay up during disasters. The Response team is made up of volunteers and experts who bring a huge amount of equipment with them – what Ericsson calls a “container based mini-GSM system”. Essentially, this is an entire mobile network made portable, and deployed in the disaster zone. Ericsson Response works closely with relief organizations working on-site to make sure that everyone working there can stay in constant, reliable contact through the potted Ericsson network.

For more details (and a short movie) check the Ericsson Response website.

What we think?

This isn’t the first trip to the rodeo for Response. It has been active in disaster relief in the Kongo, Sudan, Indonesia and the Philippines. But this time around, mobile is a much more publicised part of the relief effort – with mobile charity and mobile operators getting deeply involved in helping Haitians.