Response strategy:
The public telecommunications infrastructure across Syria has suffered significant damage due to more than a decade of devastating conflict. Efforts have been made to improve telecommunications infrastructure and services, but challenges remain high for availability and reliability in most locations. They are further affected by the worsening electricity landscape.
To address the needs of humanitarian actors and partner organizations, the emergency telecommunications (ETC) sector is sustaining the delivery and support for critical communication services in Damascus, Tartous, Aleppo, Homs, Hama, Deir Ezzor and Qamishli. ETC aims to strengthen the existing communication system through the adoption of emerging communication technologies. ETC will provide a coordination platform and IM for partners, and maintain, enhance, and expand the required ETC services in common operational areas in Syria.
ETC will continue to provide technical support and develop technical capacity of national information technology personnel of humanitarian organizations, as well as assessing the needs of humanitarian actors and partner organizations on the ground.
Priority activities:
- Sustain the delivery of critical communication services and solar power systems in common operational areas across Syria.
- Provide a coordination platform and IM for key partners to deliver high-quality and cost-effective ETC services, such as security communication, data connectivity, power supply, and technical support, to enable and support humanitarian actors and operations across Syria.
- Review and analyse the current setup of the security communication system and internet connectivity across hubs in Syria to improve its availability and reliability.
- Assess, identify and adopt emerging communication technologies to strengthen the delivery of critical communication systems along with the potential requirement for a new common operational area in Syria.
- Provide ETC technical support and expertise to the entire humanitarian community.