BT provides broadband to British Red Cross
Howard Lake | 17 June 2003 | News
BT has secured a three-year contract to help the British Red Cross by setting up broadband Internet connections between the charity’s 1000 sites, enabling it to respond more quickly to disasters and mobilise its people.
The BT service will provide fast communications to the charity to help it provide its service to people involved in major emergencies or crises. It will directly help those accessing and sharing information online, whether it is on the Internet or the British Red Cross intranet.
BT says that broadband Internet connections will be “a culture change for the British Red Cross”, with a number of independent outposts being connected. For the first time, the charity’s 40,000 volunteers will have access to important information. Previously, information had to be printed and mailed, even if it was urgent information on medical procedures, such as a better resuscitation technique.
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Steve Gallimore, head of infrastructure, British Red Cross, said: “Communications are vital to us because we are often trying to save lives. Broadband is a necessity for us, and we chose BT for its excellent coverage and our great relationship with the company.”
Danny McLaughlin, managing director of Major Business, BT, said: “Some Red Cross sites had limited phone and ISDN connectivity and needed a way to increase efficiency and the communication between its volunteers across the UK. This proposition demonstrates our commitment to delivering innovative and cost effective ICT solutions to mid-sized organisations.”
Each British Red Cross site will now have high speed access to the Internet and intranet, as well as internal applications within a manageable cost structure which standard phone and ISDN connectivity could not offer.
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.