Photos: Tech reconnects earthquake victims

"At the moment we deploy for about one month — the time it takes to re-establish the infrastructure, or until other communications are put in place. This is typically using mobile communications terminals such as Inmarsat BGAN or R-BGAN terminals. These are very efficient in emergencies — you can deploy them anywhere and they are mobile but the downside is that they are expensive and we can't afford to use them for long-term projects," says Walton.

For longer-term emergencies or for pre-planned development projects, TSF still sets up communication centres but uses fixed, very small aperture terminal (VSAT) systems rather than mobile terminals, and opens them up to the wider community. TSF also undertakes an education programme to provide locals with training on how to use the internet and word-processing tasks, such as writing applications and pulling together a CV.

"In Niger, we deployed a prevention system to strengthen the national food crisis prevention system, [and] we connected 12 remote areas where [there were] no communications at all to the capital so that they can receive information in real time — instead of the weeks it used to take. This is the kind of system that could be adapted to other countries, or other crises such as avian flu or AIDS," says Walton.