ITU satellite phone deal for disaster relief

Satellite phone company Thuraya has struck a deal with the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) for the supply of handsets when major disasters strike around the world.

Events such as the Asian tsunami at the end of 2004, the Kashmir earthquake and even Hurricane Katrina have shown how terrestrial communications links are hit hard in the first hours - around the time such services are needed most.

The Thuraya handsets are topped up via solar chargers. They support voice and data communications, as well as location tracking using GPS. Training for government officials will be supplied.

The ITU is a division of the United Nations. A statement said "multi-stakeholder partnerships", such as this one with Thuraya, are the key to success.

Thuraya is headquartered in the United Arab Emirates but its phones can be used from huge swathes of the Earth's surface, at sea and other areas away from cellular and other terrestrial wireless networks.