Ministry of Defence
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Extra Minutes for Christmas on Helmand’s Front Line
Thousands of deployed personnel who will be away from family and friends in Afghanistan this Christmas are to be given an extra special present - one hour’s free talk time.
Operational troops routinely receive 30 minutes of free talk time each week from the Ministry of Defence which can be used to make phone calls. Troops also have unlimited access to the internet and are able to email home.
This year during the festive period, troops will receive an additional 30 minutes free talk time from both the MOD and communications company Paradigm, meaning that they will be able to chat to family and friends for an extra hour over the festive period.
Secretary of State for Defence Bob Ainsworth said:
"Free telephone minutes mean our Forces can talk to their loved ones back home when they are in Afghanistan - that's why we increased the allowance two years ago. I am delighted that we are able to boost the allowance even further over the Christmas and New Year period.
"This is one, very small way that we can thank those members of the Armed Forces for putting themselves at risk in defence of Britain's national interest."
Flight Lieutenant Andy Wilson, who is responsible for managing the MOD’s requirement for welfare communications, said:
“Christmas can be a difficult time for the troops and their families and we hope that this goes some way in making this separation a little easier.
“This extra hour will allow families to share their news over the festive period, for mothers and fathers to have that extra bit of time to chat with their children and for the troops to feel as much a part of the celebrations as possible.
“Communication is vital to the morale of our personnel and the wellbeing of their loved ones at home, especially around this time of year.”
“I have served away from home and the knowledge that you are able to call and receive messages from loved ones is a huge reassurance. I hope that this extra time over Christmas will help to bring troops and their families and friends closer together.”
Managing Director of Paradigm, Keith Norton said:
“We provide the troops the ability to communicate home even in the most hostile of environments.
“The WelComE service is supported by our engineers in-theatre and the WelComE Customer Contact Centre back in the UK, who work hard to ensure that deployed personnel remain in contact with their families and friends.
“Paradigm is proud to support British troops; the WelComE service is key to boosting morale and we are pleased to be able to support this additional free talk time over the festive season."
Talk time is part of WelComE (Welfare Communications Everywhere) project and is just one way that troops can keep in touch with their families and friends whilst they are serving away.
Ends
Notes to Editors
The project, named WelComE (Welfare Communications
Everywhere), was conceived in 1999 and was first rolled out to
deployed personnel in the Balkans. The service has since grown
immensely and is now a fully integrated part of the Deployed
Welfare Package offered to entitled UK troops. WelComE is a
Registered Trademark of Paradigm Services Limited. Paradigm has
been providing this service, under contract, for ten years.
Entitled personnel are provided with the following telephone allowances as well as Internet access and, in certain locations, a newly installed Wi-Fi® service is now available, giving personnel access to their emails from the privacy of their accommodation:
30 minutes of publicly funded telephone call time per week, or
part thereof, to any destination, world-wide, including mobile
phones for the complete duration of their deployment, including
any periods spent on local R&R i.e. outside the UK.
60 minutes of publicly funded telephone call time per week
for personnel deployed on 9 month tours.
120 minutes of
publicly funded telephone call time per week for personnel
deployed on 12 month tours.
An additional 30 minutes of
publicly funded telephone call time for personnel deployed over
all or part of the Christmas period (defined as 22 Dec–2 Jan
inclusive). The MoD minutes will be added to the Paradigm account
cards on Sunday 20th December 2009 and the Paradigm minutes will
be added on Sunday 27th December 2009.
Today, Paradigm uses a
variety of different methods to ensure that every user has access
to their welfare entitlement.
The specific method depends on
the local environment, the number of users and the duration of the
deployment. Paradigm makes use of commercial satellite
communication networks, Inmarsat and Iridium mobile satcom
solutions, local public telephone access, as well as the recently
launched Skynet 5 satellites.
To ensure the reliability of
the service, Paradigm has engineers based in-theatre to provide
local technical support as well as support from the UK via the
WelComE Customer Contact Centre.
For more information,
contact Ben Wilkinson in the Ministry of Defence press office on
0207 218 9006.
Contacts:
Ministry of Defence
NDS.MOD@coi.gsi.gov.uk
