Wireless Telecom Trilogy International Partners/Voila Provide Haiti with Communication Services Critical to Earthquake Relief

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Jan 21, 2010, 06:30 ET

BELLEVUE, Wash., Jan. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Trilogy International Partners and Voila, its Haitian wireless network, continue to provide critical communications capabilities essential to emergency and relief needs from the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck Haiti on Tuesday, January 12. Immediately following the earthquake, Voila's management team implemented a maintenance and disaster recovery plan.

Voila's network operations survived the initial earthquake and aftershocks. The evening of Tuesday, January 12, technicians shut down the network switch to prevent overheating and the system was inoperable for a brief period. Voila's network was brought back online at midnight Wednesday, January 13, and has been running continuously since then with 80% of its original cell sites in operation. There has been a massive increase in international call volumes, both into and out of Haiti. Voila technicians are working around the clock to continue fortifying the communications infrastructure.

Voila retail stores in Port-au-Prince have reopened, with efforts currently under way to open stores in provinces as quickly as possible.

In order to further improve communications both within Haiti and between Haiti and other countries, Trilogy and Voila are offering Haitian vouchers and discounts that provide Haitians with free and heavily discounted phone service. For top-ups from the U.S. to Haiti, the companies are doubling the amount of minutes purchased. Web sites where minutes may be added to Voila phones include www.familyinthe509.com, www.nopin.us, www.etopuponline.com, www.directrecharge.com and www.ezetop.com.

Other disaster recovery assistance includes:

Voila is donating more than 20,000 phones and free service to first responders, NGOs and relief agencies operating in Haiti.
Voila, through Viva—its sister company in the Dominican Republic—is arranging daily flights to transport phones and other equipment into Haiti from Santo Domingo.
Voila is sending trucks, generators and portable cell sites to Haiti on naval and merchant marine supply ships.
Voila is coordinating assistance efforts from other carriers, including T-Mobile USA, which is providing more than 10,000 phones and cell site equipment.

For both Trilogy and Voila, active involvement in Haitian issues is not new. Last month, Trilogy International Partners was presented with the Award for Corporate Excellence (ACE) by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The award recognized the positive impact both Trilogy and Voila have had on the Haitian economy over the past decade, transparency in business practices and Voila's extensive corporate social responsibility programs, including the construction of the Port-au-Prince community well, which remained operational after the earthquake. Voila has also established a U.S.-based public charity, the Voila Earthquake Relief Fund, with 100 percent of funds raising going to relief efforts in Haiti. Trilogy International Partners has pledged $3 million to the foundation, and Trilogy International Partners chairman John Stanton and his wife, Theresa Gillespie, have also pledged a significant personal contribution. To donate, please visit www.voilafoundation.com.

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's corporate headquarters are in Bellevue, Washington, USA. Trilogy also maintains a regional operations and switching facility in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA. In Washington, D.C., Trilogy has long relied on the services of KRL International LLC to assist it in building public-private partnerships.

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, 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.

Follow Voila on Facebook http://voila.ht/fr/home.php or http://www.facebook.com/pages/Petionville-Haiti/FONDATION-VOILA/78328880418 and Twitter http://twitter.com/Voilahaiti.

SOURCE Trilogy International Partners