Mobility: A Nation Under Siege, impact of telephony during 2006 Lebanon War

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Leading Middle Eastern and African mobile telecoms provider MTC today launched a benchmark report titled: Mobility: A Nation Under Siege analysing the vital role played by mobile telecommunications in assisting disaster recovery within Lebanon during the Israeli-Lebanese conflict in July 2006.
 
The report contains unique insights in to the reliability of telecoms infrastructure throughout the conflict and examines the reasons why mobile communications played a pivotal role in ensuring that families stayed in touch, the population received food and medical supplies to the correct locations and emergency services could effectively plan their disaster response procedures.
 
MTC currently holds 20 mobile telecom licences soon rising to 21 with the addition of Saudi Arabia, making MTC the 4th largest global mobile telecoms company by geographic footprint.  The business serves over 30 million customers across the Middle East and Africa with a market capitalisation exceeding US$31 billion. In Lebanon, the company operates as MTC Touch through a four year management accord that commenced June 2004.
 
Launched at a high level telecoms conference in London attended by senior executives from across the industry, the report includes striking statistics of mobile usage data during the conflict that saw the mass evacuation and relocation of one million Lebanese citizens. 
 
The report sets a benchmark by providing lessons in global crisis planning – most notably in less developed regions such as in Africa and Asia - and it establishes the role that mobile telecommunications can play in the marshalling of emergency resources and the co-ordination of rescue efforts.  One practical example showcases how the use of SMS technology allowed embassies to evacuate their nationals in a fast and effective manner.
 
Commenting on the research, Dr Saad Al Barrak, CEO of MTC Group, said:
“While the universal availability of mobile telecommunication services is now taken for granted in many geographies, our research on the Lebanese conflict shows that robust mobile telecoms can deliver cost effective and immediate relief in the most testing of circumstances – even where customer bases are relatively under-developed”. 
 
Dr Al Barrak added:
“We believe the findings of this research will prove vital in making the case for the maintenance of effective mobile communications networks and is striking in confirming the overall reliance that people now place in mobile telephony to make contact with emergency services as well as loved ones at times of overwhelming crisis.”
 
Contributors to the report included international market research agency, Nielsen, and Dr. Diane Coyle of Enlightenment Economics who has published previous research on the use of information and communications technology in developing countries including a study published by the GSMA on the impact of mobile telephony in disaster situations such as the Indian Ocean Tsunami. 
 
Rima Qureshi, Vice President Product Area Customer Support and Ericsson Response commented on the report: “This report by MTC is a strong testimony to the critical role that telecommunications can play in disaster situations, in this case Lebanon’s war. The report sets an important benchmark for the industry in understanding user behaviour in time of crisis. It will help the industry and humanitarian organizations to initiate a much better response in the future when faced with similar disaster scenarios. The Ericsson Response program has been providing communication support in disaster areas for more than 8 years, and we commend the MTC Group for this important piece of research.”

Mobility:  A Nation Under Siege is the second MTC report following the 136 page in-depth research on the “Impact of mobile phones in the Arab World” released in February 2006 that detailed how mobile telephony boosts economic growth and fosters social harmony and security.