T-Mobile, AT&T, Sprint and Others Donate Equipment to Haitian Telecom Voila for Earthquake Relief Effort

BELLEVUE, Wash., Feb. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- In response to the earthquake in Haiti, Trilogy International Partners (TIP) and its Haitian wireless company, Voila, are receiving immediate support in the form of equipment donations from some of the world's largest telecom companies: T-Mobile, AT&T and Sprint as well as phone manufacturers and distributors Sony Ericsson, Motorola, Samsung, LG, CT Miami, RIM and Brightstar. Communications are vital in the wake of a disaster, and these companies promptly offered critical equipment — phones, cells on wheels (COWs), generators, vehicles, fixed wireless terminals and solar cell phone chargers — to TIP for its subsidiary, Voila. With these donations, Voila is able to accelerate the rebuilding process, provide phones and airtime to multiple relief organizations, and provide critical means of communication to the Haitian community.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100202/SF47986)

Voila was the first major wireless carrier to restore service after the earthquake. Nearly 90 percent of its cell sites are back in operation. However, for those sites that were destroyed, new equipment is being urgently shipped to ensure seamless coverage and to meet unprecedented demand for communications services. Voila has provided tens of thousands of phones to relief agencies and deployed its own complement of temporary cell sites. Now, other members of the global wireless communications fraternity have stepped forward to help, enabling TIP and Voila to continue their rebuilding efforts without interruption.

John W. Stanton, Trilogy's chairman, is pleased with the assistance that Voila has received. "We've been working with fellow carriers and equipment suppliers for many years, and it's terrific to see them respond immediately to help us in Haiti. They know that to recover from a catastrophe you need a reliable communications system — and they have been generous in offering the equipment that's essential for Voila to continue serving the Haitian people and the thousands of volunteers who have arrived to provide assistance. We are very grateful for the industry's support."

Restoring Voila's network has been significantly strengthened by the following companies' generosity and quick response:

• T-Mobile, which provided 10,000 cell phones, 42 generators, 10 COWs, 7 trucks, and approximately 500 cell phone solar chargers
• AT&T, which provided 8,000 cell phones and 150 fixed wireless terminals with partners Brightstar, Sony Ericsson and Motorola
• Sprint, which provided two portable towers
• LG, Samsung, CT Miami and RIM, which provided additional cell phones and BlackBerry devices

About Trilogy International Partners, LLC

Trilogy International Partners, LLC ("Trilogy"), invests in wireless telecommunication operations in international markets that exhibit strong opportunities for significant growth. A privately held company, Trilogy has corporate headquarters in Bellevue, Washington, USA. Trilogy also maintains a regional operations and switching facility in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA.

Trilogy currently has controlling interests in mobile communications companies in Haiti, Bolivia, the Dominican Republic and New Zealand. Collectively, these businesses hold licenses to provide wireless services to over 31 million people. In addition to wireless services, the operating companies are also authorized to provide termination and origination of international long distance, public telephony, and voice and data services. For more information on Trilogy, please see its website: www.trilogy-international.com.

About Voila

Voila is a leading mobile telecommunications operator in Haiti, providing high-quality, affordable wireless service. Since its inception 10 years ago, over US$200 million has been invested in Haiti. For more information on Voila, please see its website: www.familyinthe509.com.

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SOURCE Trilogy International Partners