OREANDA-NEWS.Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT) Corporation and NTT Communications Corporation (NTT Com) started the feasibility study on restoring telecommunication and ICT infrastructure damaged by typhoon Haiyan through the use of the Movable and Deployable ICT Resource Unit (MDRU) under the cooperation between the Ministry of Internal affairs and Communications (MIC) Japan, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Philippines and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU)*1. This feasibility study was launched in December 2014 at the disaster affected area in the island of Cebu in the Philippines and will continue until September 2015. This national project is led by the ITU*2.

The effectiveness and key performance indicators of the MDRU will be monitored and evaluated by ITU through the use of the applications deployed on the MDRU. This project is with the cooperation of the municipal employees and residents in the Municipality of San Remigio a disaster affected area in Northern Cebu Island. The MDRU equipment has been provided by NTT Com to ITU for the project implementation. NTT and NTT com will operate and provide support to this project together with CVISNET foundation, Inc.*3 as the local partner in the Philippines. Fujitsu limited are one of the project partners.

Movable and Deployable ICT resource Unit
Based on lessons learned from the Great East Japan Earthquake, NTT and NTT Com have developed the MDRU that establish a Wi-Fi available area and enable communication to promptly recover after a large-scale disaster as a product of the R&D project in which NTT, Tohoku University, Fujitsu Limited and NTT Communications are engaged. This R&D project is partially supported by Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.

Future Plan

(1) Promotion campaign to both the domestic and foreign sides

NTT and NTT Com encourage and promote broad use of the MDRU to entire world for disaster relief after a large-scale disaster, and expand in application like prompt provision of ICT services in developing countries where ICT infrastructure is not accommodated.

(2) Promotion of R&D

NTT and NTT Com are going to brush up the functional capability and the usability of MDRU based on the result of this feasibility study.

  • *1:The core mission of the Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU-D) shall be to foster international cooperation and solidarity in the delivery of technical assistance and in the creation, development and improvement of telecommunication/ICT equipment and networks in developing countries.
  • *2:ITU, MIC and DOST have closed the cooperation agreement of the feasibility study on restoring connectivity through the use of MDRU in May 2015.
  • *3:The Central Visayas Information Sharing Network (CVISNET) Foundation, Inc. is an e-government project in the Philippines funded by the Department of Science and technology Region 7 and jointly collaborated by the Regional Development Council Region 7, Government Organization for Information Technology and the Confederation of Scientific and Professional Organization.

Reference: Feasibility study in Philippine

Training session for the residents of San Remigio municipality: Installing and running the MDRU applications in the smart phone.

Reference: Feasibility study in Philippine

Briefing session for the engineers in San Remigion Municipality : The essential point and the importance of MDRU feasibility study and the technologies used for MDRU prject.

Briefing session for the engineers in San Remigion Municipality