A helping hand. Astrium Services connectivity in Mali.

[SatNews] Communications are severely disrupted due to land lines and cut off mobile networks in several towns, help is very limited due to safety issues.

This past year, in the tumultuous Sahel region of Africa, the satellite airtime and equipment provided by Astrium Services has helped more than 4,200 refugees contact loved ones, and has provided reliable Internet and voice capabilities for the NGO Télécoms Sans Frontières to stay in contact with local authorities and their headquarters.

Télécoms Sans Frontières (TSF) has relied on Astrium Services’ mobile satellite services since its foundation in 1998.

Communications links are severely disrupted in northern Mali, where land lines and mobile networks have been cut off in several towns, and the activities of the NGOs in this region are very limited because of the degradation in safety conditions.

Thanks to technology provided through TSF, people can make international calls to tell their loved ones they are safe and sound. The Mayor of Timbuktu testifies: “The army delivered us, Télécoms Sans Frontières reconnected us! I was able to call Bamako and directly inform the authorities about the situation here in Timbuktu.”

Humanitarian support is the main means of survival for most of the Sahel people. The Astrium-supplied TSF satellite equipment—both fixed and mobile—and airtime is helping humanitarian workers in the region to share vital information as they manage the very critical humanitarian situation in this area.