VoIP Bridges Communication for Haiti Relief Workers

When a devastating earthquake hit Haiti in January, the world came to its aid. But with telephone lines severely damaged and most not working at all, how can relief organizations keep communication lines open to their offices in other countries? Well one organization, CARE, which is based in the U.S., has been relying on VoIP to communicate.

When CARE aid workers first arrived after the earthquake, they had to rely on text messages to communicate to their home office in Atlanta, GA. Now that aid organizations are rushing to set up broadband connections, CARE has, "managed to upgrade the link to about 1Mbit/sec. [and have] brought in its own IT specialist from the U.S. and has been setting up voice-over-IP phones."

Rick Perera, the spokes person for CARE thinks Haiti may, "abandon its wired network and go strictly wireless as it rebuilds." This prediction doesn't seem too far-fetched as the FCC is asking Congress to make the switch here in the states. Because VoIP phone systems are cheap, it really does make sense to make the switch from traditional phone lines to VoIP.

VoIP brings many advantages for aid workers since they can communicate anywhere in the world for a much lower cost--and CARE isn't the only organization putting up VoIP lines. A communications aid organization called NetHope has also been, "creating a large WiFi network connected to a VSAT connection and is connecting numerous aid organizations giving them access to broadband speeds capable of delivering Skype calls."

Although there is much still to do in Haiti, having a reliable communication tool will be a huge help to all aid workers. With VoIP making long distance calls much more affordable for everyone, this seems like a perfect way to set up communication. We all will have to wait to see if Perera's prediction will come true of being completely wireless, but the main focus for now should be on rebuilding the country.