Thuraya Satellite Telecommunications Co. signed with the United Nations to supply portable satellite terminals for rescue operations, the United Nations announced July 10.

The United Arab Emirates satellite-based company will provide handheld satellite terminals with solar chargers and offer the U.N. International Telecommunications Union (ITU) a discounted rate on airtime while the ITU will cover transportation costs of telecommunications equipment to and from disaster areas.

“The tsunami that wreaked havoc in south East Asia, the Kashmir earthquake, the Suriname floods and the Indonesia earthquake have demonstrated the power of emergency telecommunications in saving lives and coordinating efforts during rescue operations such as the setting up of telemedicine links,” Yoshio Utsumi, secretary-general of the ITU, said in a statement.