BT supports Jāṅgala connect people impacted by humanitarian situations

Jāṅgala today announced it is working with BT Group to help expand its easy to deploy Wi-Fi solutions, developed to connect people impacted by a wide range of humanitarian situations.

Jāṅgala develops specialised low cost Wi-Fi tools, which can be set up in a matter of minutes, providing connectivity in humanitarian situations including refugee camps, disaster relief and at-sea rescue. In late 2015, the Jāṅgala team designed and built the first Wi-Fi network in the Jungle, a refugee camp in Calais, helping connect over five thousand people per week.

Since then, Jāṅgala has equipped sixteen groups across three continents, providing terabytes of data and helping thousands of refugees stay connected to the people and services that matter to them. More than 135 million people are in need of humanitarian support globally, and Jāṅgala aims to be in a position to distribute 100 more Wi-Fi systems by the end of 2019. ^[1]

Rich Thanki, Co-founder of Jāṅgala, said: “Internet access is crucial for the millions of people displaced around the world, as well as the thousands of professional and voluntary organisations working tirelessly to assist. We set up Jangala because we saw the need for low-cost Wi-Fi systems that could be set up anywhere in the world with no technical expertise. We’re excited to be working with BT, both to help groups on the ground today and to develop the technologies needed to connect the people who will be displaced by climate change in the future”

BT will support Jāṅgala with funding and world-leading technical expertise as it increases the sophistication of its tools and expands its operations. BT’s funding has already led to Jāṅgala expanding further into Italy and Serbia. In addition, BT’s Emergency Response Team is benefiting from Jāṅgala’s leading technology to provide first response disaster relief in the UK and across the globe.

Andy Wales, Chief Digital Impact and Sustainability Officer at BT, said: “We know connectivity is a key concern in any humanitarian situation, with many of those affected asking for a Wi-Fi password before they do water or food. We’re delighted that through working together with Jāṅgala we can help more people, in more situations, than ever before.”

Jāṅgala currently has three solutions, the Big Box, Small Box and Wet Box all designed to provide connectivity in humanitarian situations of different sizes and a variety of locations. The group’s ultimate aim is to produce a commercial offering, any profits of which will be re-invested in its charitable arm.

Jāṅgala has recently been awarded TEAC UK’s (a collaboration between BT and Facebook aimed at developing next-generation telecoms technology) Special Award for its work in the charity sector. As winners of the Special Award, Jāṅgala will have six months free membership to Innovation Martlesham, an incubator based at BT’s world renowned labs, Adastral Park, which is designed to nurture technology companies.