<![CDATA[ Latest from Next TV in Nepal-earthquake ]]> https://www.nexttv.com/tag/nepal-earthquake Tue, 28 Apr 2015 19:30:00 +0000 en <![CDATA[ Bright House, Comcast Offer Free Calls to Nepal ]]> https://www.nexttv.com/news/bright-house-offers-free-calls-nepal-390171 DaBCa2meNhGgGiRo9HP7U Tue, 28 Apr 2015 19:30:00 +0000

Bright House Networks on Tuesday joined Time Warner Cable in offering home phone subs the ability to call friends and family in Nepal for free through the end of May in response to the earthquake that rocked Nepal.

Those free calls to Nepal will be retroactive to Saturday, April 25, and continue through May 31, Bright House said, noting that customers placing direct calls there during the period will be issued a credit on their Home Phone account.  

Credits for all calls made during the program time period will appear on customer accounts in June 2015. Calls to operators or directory assistance are not direct dial calls, so these will be charged at the usual rate, the MSO said. 

Update: Comcast also announced that it is providing free calls to Nepal, also from April 25 through May 31.

]]> <![CDATA[ ITU Sends Communications Gear to Nepal ]]> https://www.nexttv.com/news/itu-sends-communications-gear-nepal-390117 jFB4Lrqbq5xrsFtoXSHhGi Mon, 27 Apr 2015 16:30:00 +0000

The International Telecommunication Union said Monday it has sent emergency communications equipment to Nepal to help in the aftermath of the devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake.

The ITU said that it had sent "35 satellite mobile phones and 10 satellite Broadband Global Area Network terminals along with solar panels and laptops" to help with the efforts to coordinate relief to Nepal, where the death toll is nearing 4,000, according to the New York Times, and aftershocks continue to hamper those efforts.

“Emergency telecommunications play a critical role in the immediate aftermath of disasters,” said Brahima Sanou, director of ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau, in a statement. “They ensure timely flow of information that is much needed by government agencies and other humanitarian actors involved in rescue operations.”

The ITU pointed out that much of the affected area is in rural and mountainous portions of the country with widely dispersed populations.

Some survivors trapped above the avalanches on Everest have been tweeting and posting on Facebook about their condition and situation, according to reports.

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