Generosity for tsunami victims

25 January, 2005

Ericsson calls on expertise and staff generosity for tsunami victims

Telecommunications leader Ericsson has provided a complete CDMA mobile telephony system, phones, volunteers and donations to assist victims of the devastating South Asian tsunami.

In New Zealand and Australia alone, more than NZ$130,000 has been raised by a staff appeal, currently underway. Ericsson jump-started the appeal with a $25,000 injection, and is matching employee pledges.

Ericsson Australia and New Zealand donations will go to UNICEF, to assist children in the affected areas, who may be subject to exploitation and poor health, and are displaced from their families. Volunteer work is also being co-ordinated in both countries to assist aid agencies.

Ericsson’s managing director for Australia and New Zealand, Barry Borzillo, says Ericsson was able to assist almost immediately largely due to its global initiative ‘Ericsson Response’.

Ericsson Response ensures a speedy and efficient response to major disasters, wherever they occur in the world. It assists by supplying volunteers, equipment, technical support and partnering with aid agencies.

“Our hearts go out to those affected by this disaster and we are pleased to have been able to assist so quickly in restoring telecommunications, and providing aid to those who are suffering as a result of this tragedy.”

In Indonesia fixed and mobile telecommunications were completely washed away and within 24 hours, several Ericsson teams were working to rebuild the telecommunications systems. Within days, a complete CDMA mobile telephony system was donated to the Indonesia government.

In addition, Ericsson and Sony Ericsson have provided a number of satellite phones, heavy-duty waterproof phones and standard phones to relief organisations.

An SMS donation service started and supported by Ericsson attracted thousands of messages with the money going directly to victims of the tsunami across the affected regions through the Red Cross Appeal.

Ericsson’s offices in Singapore, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States have also individually launched fund-raising programs.

For more information on Ericsson’s relief support please see: www.ericsson.com

Ericsson is shaping the future of mobile and broadband internet communications through its continuous technology leadership. Providing innovative solutions in more than 140 countries, Ericsson is helping to create the most powerful communication companies in the world.

About ‘Ericsson Response’ Ericsson Response is Ericsson's established organisation for providing assistance to disaster areas, building on its previous involvement and experience in various disaster-response efforts throughout the world. Ericsson acts in partnership with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

Read more at http://www.ericsson.com/about/ericssonresponse/

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