Star Telecom provides communications for preventing spread of Covid-19

With the society in Laos facing a second wave of Covid-19 infections, Star Telecom, the no 1 carrier in Laos with the largest coverage across the country, is using its infrastructure to contribute to expanding communications through mobile phones and internet data, and providing information technology solutions as an important part of communications for all departments and units participating in anti-epidemic measures.
Star Telecom’s activities have facilitated quick and prompt coordination. This is in line with the company’s goal and strategy of creating services and providing the best services to the whole country, in order to let Lao people have the best access to telecommunications.

Star Telecom Company supports the development of information technology systems.       --Photo the company

Amid the Covid-19 outbreak, many sectors and organisations were greatly affected by the epidemic, especially the country’s economic sector and various agencies. More importantly, the Lao people were also affected by the lack of income.
In such a situation, Star Telecom has contributed to overcoming difficulties and brought benefits to society and customers, such as reducing internet data rates by 50 percent by increasing package data while retaining the same days of use, creating cheap Covid packages for use during the day with a large data amount for 2 million customers, providing a discount of 15 percent for voice calls to all mobile subscribers with a total value of about 4 billion kip, and implementing a 50 percent promotion to exchange telecommunication points for gifts under its customer care programme for 120,000 participating subscribers, according to the company.
Moreover, Star Telecom has also accompanied frontline forces such as medical staff, ambulances and volunteers in their fight against the Covid-19 epidemic. Star Telecom offered various telecommunications services to such personnel. For example, within eight months, a total of 1,700 health workers in 148 villages will be given a free SIM card with call and data accounts worth 300,000 kip per month, and a total value of nearly 5.8 billion kip.
In addition, the Ministry of Technology and Information, together with Star Telecom, has supported the Government of Laos with five billion Kip (US$500,000) for Covid-19 prevention measures.
In order to contribute to the prevention of Covid-19, on May 5, 2021, the Ministry of Technology and Communications, together with Star Telecom Company (Unitel), donated 1.5 billion kip in cash to the Lao government donated. It also donated internet data with a phone account worth 1.35 billion kip and built a vaccination management system and a vaccination passport system with a total donation worth up to five billion crews.
The handover ceremony for these measures were attended by Dr Boviengkham Vongdara, who is the Minister of Technology and Communications, the General Director of Star Telecom Company, Mr Luu Manh Ha, and the Board of Directors of the company.
The minister has stated that the purpose of this donation is to promote activities to control and prevent the spread of Covid 19. The Vaccination Passport and Vaccination Management System (also known as National Vaccination Information Management System) are worth two billion kip, and they can manage all vaccination subjects by having an unique individual ID number. Thus, they are able to manage vaccination history, vaccine supplies and individual lifetime vaccination record.
The system was built on the basis of cloud computing, having safety and security measures and real time visual data. The system allows people to track their own or family members’ vaccination history through each vaccination dose. After being vaccinated, a Certificate of Vaccination and QR-Code will be issued. Vaccination results will be regular updated by medical workers on the system to help management agencies capture and monitor information and dates for implementing the vaccination programme.
In particular, this system will be coordinated by the ministry of Technology and Communications with the Ministry of Health to organise and use. The minister also said that the Ministry of Technology and Communications will coordinate with the Ministry of Health to deploy IT solutions and systems, such as the health declaration system, in the near future.

By Advertorial Desk
(Latest Update June 24, 2021)