Update on TeliaSonera’s operations in Nepal following earthquake
TeliaSonera's majority owned company in Nepal, Ncell, is working around the clock to help and support its employees and partners after the major earthquake which hit Nepal this weekend. As of now there are no reports of any of the 515 employees being injured. Ncell also continues its work to keep the mobile network in the country running to facilitate for the rescue operations ongoing.
The highest priority is and has been to locate all employees and to give them the best possible support in their very difficult personal situations. Ncell has of this morning been able to establish the whereabouts of all its employees.
On early Monday morning, TeliaSonera sent an aircraft to Nepal with tents, water cleaning facilities and medical supplies to help stabilize and improve working conditions for Ncell's employees in order to secure the operations.
Most of Ncell's mobile network in Nepal is working, although overloaded with several hundred sites having power supply problems. This leads to congested networks and Ncell therefore urges everyone to communicate by SMS in order to minimize the strain of the network.
Ncell's crisis management team has secured support from suppliers and maintenance teams are trying to restart as many sites as possible. Right now, it is not possible to assess the damages and costs related to the earthquake.
To ensure that Ncell’s customers can communicate with families and friends, Ncell has credited SIM cards with an amount sufficient to make necessary calls. Ncell also provides customers with 50 free SMS, as a first action. Calls and SMS between most of TeliaSonera' European operations and Nepal are free of charge, but due to the damage to the network, Ncell has made the judgment that it is not possible to enable free calls in Nepal as it would put additional strain to the network and risk the ongoing rescue operations. This is constantly reviewed.
For more information on Ncell and the earthquake please read articles on TeliaSonera.com/newsroom.
For more information, please contact the TeliaSonera press office +46 771 77 58 30, press@teliasonera.com, visit our Newsroom or follow us on Twitter @TeliaSoneraAB .
TeliaSonera provides network access and telecommunication services in the Nordic and Baltic countries, the emerging markets of Eurasia, including Russia and Turkey, and in Spain. TeliaSonera helps people and companies communicate in an easy, efficient and environmentally friendly way. Our ambition is to be number one or two in all our markets, providing the best customer experience, high quality networks and cost efficient operations. TeliaSonera is also a leading wholesale provider who owns and operates one of the world’s most extensive fiber backbones. In 2014, net sales amounted to SEK 101.1 billion, EBITDA to SEK 35.2 billion and earnings per share to SEK 3.35. The TeliaSonera share is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm and Nasdaq Helsinki. Read more at www.teliasonera.com.
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