Smart provides communications support to disaster areas

Smart Communications Inc. has enhanced its network coverage in disaster-stricken towns of Panaoan Island in the tip of Southern Leyte to provide much needed communications support for relief and rehabilitation operations.

The company said it has installed a GSM extender in the municipal hall of San Francisco. It also set up a Tawag Center using mobile satellite technology to provide free calls to families of victims. Smart deployed a disaster response team from its Network Services Division, Public Access Department, and its Tacloban, Catbalogan and Ormoc Wireless Centers.

"We mobilized our field engineers to assess GSM coverage in the hard-hit areas and they found spot coverage with signal coming from our base stations in Malitbog and Liloan. To make the signal more reliable, we installed an extender in San Francisco. It is up and working by this morning," said Ramon R. Isberto. Smart public affairs head.

"For our Tawag Center, our first priority for the free calls are families of victims," he added.

Isberto also added that Smart engineers are assessing the network situation in the nearby towns of San Ricardo and Pintuyan.

Government reports say that over 200 people have been reported dead or missing in Southern Leyte and Northeastern Mindanao. Around 170 of the dead are from the Panaoan Island in Leyte.

Panaoan Island, home to around 50,000 poor farmers was worst hit by the landslides and floods last Friday and Saturday.