12. Additional guidelines for non-presence operations
The Telecommunications Officer needs to very quickly clarify what government regulations will affect the import and installation of all telecommunications systems. For example, what provisions need to be made to license equipment and frequency channels.
Further details of equipment and its requirements can be found in the report prepared by CARE Norway (Annex 20.3 Draft telecommunications minimum standards).
Most international staff will arrive with a laptop PC and will be expecting a reliable internet connection for their personal communications when at the base office. New staff members will also require a desk and a PC. These requirements must be anticipated and carried out before staff arrives, to prevent excess stress in an already stressful situation. Whenever possible, office networking with an internet connection needs to be established as a priority. Network connections should consider:
- broadband internet connection
- network switch with sufficient network cables and outlets
- wireless access points to speed up the connecting of new staff members.
The Tampere Convention is the Provision of Telecommunication Resources for Disaster Mitigation and Relief Operations, which came into force on 8 January 2005 following ratification by 30 countries. Annex 20.15 Tampere Convention, provides details about the Convention:
- The Tampere Convention Executive Summary
- The Tampere Convention on the Provision of Telecommunication Resources for Disaster Mitigation and Relief Operations
- Tampere signatories as at June 2007.