Guillermo (Willie) and Damian Benegas are twin brothers from Patagonia who run Benegas Brothers Expeditions and take groups on expeditions and adventures all over the world.
They were guiding a group on Everest earlier this year when disaster struck. The first earthquake hit Nepal and they quickly set up a rescue project called “Nepal Relief: Building a Path to Recovery”.
“Nepal Relief: Building a Path to Recovery”.
The project was established to provide aid to remote villages all over Nepal. Through a system of local porters, the project delivered food and supplies to some of the worst affected areas. They needed a reliable form of communication to provide logistical support and chose the Iridium Pilot Satellite Terminal. The terminal also provided a hugely appreciated form of communication for locals who were desperate to hear from loved ones for the first time since the earthquake.
The Iridium Equipment
Iridium Pilot Land Station
Willie explains just how vital the terminal was:
“One of the key elements of this project, ‘Nepal Relief: Building a Path to Recovery,’ that has enabled us to succeed is access to a reliable communication system. During our planning and organization, Iridium provided us with the Iridium Pilot Land Station. This allowed us to set up quickly for deployment in a remote location. Powered by the Iridium® global satellite network, the equipment gave us the ability to communicate worldwide with our logistics partners, enabling real-time updates on weather conditions and ETA of supplies. Beyond the technical aspects of our project, the Iridium Pilot Land Station provided the village of Laprak with a means to communicate with loved ones who had been separated since the first earthquake on April 25th.
In the end, I am the most grateful for one particular moment that will stay with me forever. It was seeing the smile of a mother who was finally able to talk to her son who had been air-lifted to Kathmandu. For 20 days, she had no form of communication with him and, as a result, no idea if he was even alive. To see her smile and her eyes shining when she heard his voice again for the first time was amazing. I am so grateful to Iridium for the support they’ve provided to us. Through equipment and connectivity, the locals in Laprak must be the most thankful. In so many ways, Iridium has provided a truly critical lifeline to the people of Nepal.” – Guillermo (Willie) Benegas, Benegas Brothers Expeditions
I have been using satellite modems and telephones for years in my job as an Everest mountain guide. I have to say that this unit far exceeded my expectations.
Iridium Extreme 9575 Satellite Phone
We also have three Iridium Extreme satellite phones with us too. These enabled us to create an invaluable network with access to communication 24/7. To get the project off the ground, we were sending guides on remote, exploratory missions to other villages. Consequently, this enable us to provide relief in the most extreme terrain. Knowing that they were equipped with these reliable tools gave us an incredible peace of mind.
We knew that if anything went wrong they could contact us immediately in an emergency situation. Also, we would be able to respond with help. As of today, we’ve moved 20 metric tons of relief supplies to remote areas of Nepal. This is all through our system of hired porters. Additionally, we are continually working to move supplies to all the villages above Laprak. This project will take at least one more month, with a goal to provide enough supplies to last local communities three months.
We offer satellite broadband terminal rentals and also have a wide variety of terminal options available to buy.
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If you are interested in purchasing or renting a satellite terminal, please contact us. Take a look at our website or give us a call to discuss your requirements on 0800 112 3919.
