Nova Clotario-Concepcion Community Partnerships,

Environment/Disprep Programs

Smart Communications Inc

Why do telcos matter in disaster resilience?

“No country, no government, no civil society on its own will be able to

manage risks and strengthen resilience; it takes engagement by the

business and private sector.”

Why do mobile networks matter?*

• Mobile networks provide services and platforms that can build

community resilience and reduce vulnerability

• Mobile networks enable the connectivity that becomes a lifeline for

those affected by natural disasters and other humanitarian

emergencies

• Mobile networks are vital to facilitating access to information and

assistance, coordinating assistance within affected populations and

among Governments, NGOs and the international humanitarian

community

• Mobile network operators have a key role to play in building

resilience

*GSMA doc

GSMA Disaster Response - Infographic Movie.mp4

Industry view*

• Increasing dependence on and expectations of mobile technology before, during and after

disasters

• Increasing regulation around public early warning systems and back-up requirements

• Increasing reputational risk due to service interruption

• Lost revenue, business case for investing in resilience?

• Growing demands outside of core business (i.e. Big Data)

• Many partners, many demands

*GSMA doc

Challenges for the Industry*

• Disasters impact MNOs in numerous ways, making recovery very

difficult

• The international humanitarian system can be confusing and

unclear to MNOs, yet they must often navigate a high volume of

requests from these organizations

• There is an increasing trend towards regulation for Disaster

Response activities, not all of which will effectively support long

term resilience

*GSMA doc

The Humanitarian Connectivity Charter

• The Charter is a common set of principles for the

mobile industry focused on disaster preparedness and

response activities

• Through the Charter, mobile network operators

(MNOs) will commit to a common set of principles and

work towards the adoption of initiatives focused on

humanitarian connectivity. The aim of this initiative is

to create a more coordinated and predictable response

to disasters.

• Current numbers:

o 8 MNO group signatories

o Operating across 40 countries

o A combined subscriber reach of over 1 billion

"I congratulate the GSMA and its membership for developing this partnership with the humanitarian community, which will enable people affected by crises to gain access to vital communications.” UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon

Example of Activities

• Before Disaster

o Operator-to-operator support

o Common humanitarian short code

o BCP

o Participation with partners

• Post-disaster

o Access to mobile services

o Reduced roaming tariffs

Subscriber-facing activities

• Use of social media to inform customers of restoration updates

• Text-not-call campaigns

• Mobile ATMs

• Zero rating of access to certain social media sites

• Dedicated information hotlines

• Free charging stations

• Free calling stations

• Subsidized communications to affected countries

• Delayed or reduced billing agreements

Subscriber-focused communications

Subscriber-focused communications

Partnerships and innovations

Partnerships and innovations

Strengthening Disaster Preparedness of S. Leyte Thru SMS Technology

Lessons from the ground, recommendations for enhancement and prospects

Lessons from the ground

• The system has other

important uses such as

rejecting rumors of an

impending tsunami, convening

disaster response teams in an

area, etc. People know that if

info is from SLEYTE, it is

official.

Lessons from the ground

• The system can only support an existing early warning /

contingency plan, thus the need to still train the community and

assist them in crafting their contingency plans.

Lessons from the ground

• Installing an system requires interventions on IEC to

generate demand for use of the system (need for change in

behaviors – on the importance of communication and on the use

of “hi-tech”)

• At the moment, info sent via the system is from PAG-ASA,

mostly advisories from national office. There is a need to get

local weather info by linking with DOST/PAG-ASA at the local

level as well as Project Rain gauge and mini weather stations

to make messages more relevant to receivers.

Lessons from the ground

• Traditional early warning

system/devices (e.g.

megaphones, two-way radios,

batingaw) should complement

the system especially if there is

no power, no signal, etc.

• LGUs can make a business

model out of the system to

sustain its operations.

Lessons from the ground

• Aside from province-wide, as in

the case of S. Leyte, the system

can also be used region-wide,

municipality-wide, barangay-wide

or village-wide. Need to be

mindful of disaster

communication protocols in

terms of who sends info, who

approves info, to whom are info

sent.

Ideas for system enhancement

• Generating feedback via MMS

• Integrating GPS in the system

o Get coordinates of lifeline structures

o Identify location of cell phone users/response teams esp during emergencies

o Use together with existing digital hazard maps

• Making it easy for administrator to manage info and database of CP users

• Make it easier for subscribers to reply (do away with keywords)

• Include means for verifying if message has been received by the recipient

• Increase the number of characters of messages