The resources are intended to support P2C's goal of "connecting people everywhere", as satellite communication technology continues to be called upon for ever more diverse situations.
Donna Bethea-Murphy, SVP of 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.”
P2C launched in 2021 and works to ensure that people anywhere can access and use digital connectivity. Its principles include SDG-focused digital development, and the work focuses on least developed countries, landlocked developing countries, and small island developing states.
However, its work also includes critical support for people in developing nations faced with natural and man-made disasters, and the governments and humanitarian agencies working to connect them.
Events in the Pacific year to date have proven just how critical such support is, particularly from satcos, following the extensive outage in Tonga and the numerous satellite players who came to the country's aid, including SES, SpaceX and Kacific.
Although it isn't part of P2C's work, there's also a role for satellites to ensure that such technologies as IoT can, in future, reach every corner of the world.
In November Inmarsat published research which found that despite the accelerating speed of IoT adoption during the Covid-19 pandemic, poor or unreliable connectivity remained a key barrier to its overall take up.
Thanking Inmarsat for its contribution, Doreen Bogdan-Martin, director of the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau, said: “The Coalition is a game-changing opportunity for the ICT sector to take a holistic approach, catalyse new partnerships, and mobilize the resources needed to connect those who are still offline.
"I am calling on all players to step up and help us connect those 2.9 billion 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.”
In other news from Inmarsat – which is pending takeover by the US-based Viasat – last month it started a 200-day process to put its latest satellite into service.
