The large telecom company Ericsson has hired Osterman Helicopter to support the reconstruction of the damaged communication system in Japan. Osterman’s Bell 205 was loaded onto an Antonoav AN-124 freighter at Arlanda Airport in Stockholm yesterday and has now arrived in Tokyo.

Tens of thousands were killed as large parts of their society were swept away in the tsunami that hit the coast of Japan on March 11. The most badly severed area was Tohuku, where the transport and communications infrastructure have been severely devastated. Damage to telecommunications causes problems in the rescue work and damage to roads means that some areas are reachable only by air transport.

To support Japanese operators, the Ericsson-chartered helicopter has arrived in the area and will begin operations on March 31. Crewed by personnel with experience in disaster zones, the helicopter will carry Ericsson employees and necessary repair equipment to support in the network maintenance, rebuilding and repair tasks faced by all of Ericsson’s customers.

The helicopter will also offer Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) operating in the region the opportunity to transport goods such as food, water and clothes when on-board space is available.

Repairs in the mobile networks include restoring damaged radio base stations and related technical equipment, restoring power, fixing damaged towers and replacing concrete foundations.

“We’ve been in close contact with our customers since the immediate aftermath of the terrible earthquake and tsunami,” says Fredrik Alatalo, President of Ericsson Japan. “From the outset we have offered our help to customers, with our complete organization in Japan fully committed. Our current efforts, including the chartering of the helicopter and providing satellite phones, are part of that. We will continue to work closely with our customers to support in any way we can.”

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Reproduced from Nordic Rotors with permission. Copyright and full responsibility for the content of this article remains with Nordic Rotors, Photos Wictor Pantzar