Cisco to provide wireless kits in Andamans

BANGALORE: In order to enhance relief and coordination efforts in tsunami-hit areas in the Indian Ocean, Cisco is planning to provide communication hardware for Net Relief Kits (NRKs), in affected areas like Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Sri Lanka.






Speaking to CyberMedia News, a Cisco spokesman said, "We will be providing the hardware for NRKs and IP phones, which would help in coordinating with relief agencies and also help families which have not been able to get in touch with their anxious relatives elsewhere." Cisco hopes that these kits would be of use in areas, which have been cut off from relief.





At present, Cisco is talking with CII, NGOs and disaster management cells so that the communication equipment can be used immediately. It is also working with a consortium called NetHope consisting of companies like Cisco, CGNet and Inmarsat, and voluntary agencies like ActionAid, CARE and Oxfam, which would play a role in deploying the kits in the tsunami-stricken areas.





The NRKs help in short-term wireless communication with access to the Internet via mobile or fixed satellite stations. The kits can run on battery or generator power and are augmented by service from Inmarsat and other space based communications to provide 24/7 communications globally. Currently, the kits are being deployed in Indonesia and Thailand.